usatoday--2020-02-06--GOP Sen. Romney faces awkwardness, 'abuse' for defying Trump on impeachment

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mitt Romney sat sternly with his hands clasped in his lap Wednesday as Republican colleagues to his left and right stood up and declared President Donald Trump “ not guilty ” on two articles of impeachment .
One of the last to enter the Senate chamber before the historic vote , Romney had , less than three hours before , announced he would be the only member of the president ’ s party not to acquit him on both charges .
Trump , the senator concluded , had committed an act so extreme and egregious it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue suit with an American flag pin , Romney had not been greeted by his colleagues and did not boast a smile as the voting began .
When the trial ended , the Utah senator was the first to depart .
Impeachment vote : 'Appalling abuse ' : Sen. Mitt Romney votes to convict President Trump on abuse of power charge Romney hadn ’ t gamed out how to navigate what would come next .
After he ’ d announced his decision , Romney ’ s chief of staff told him it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the plan – dealing with the backlash .
`` We don ’ t have one , ” the aide responded , according to Romney .
Romney ’ s decision to become the first senator in U.S. history to vote for removal of a president of his own party now makes him a test case on whether the GOP is willing to accommodate dissent against a president who demands loyalty .
Romney joined Senate Democrats in voting to convict on an article accusing Trump of abusing his power by trying to pressure Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including former Vice President Joe Biden , in exchange for releasing nearly $ 400 million in military aid .
Romney voted against the second article charging Trump with obstruction of Congress .
Trump was acquitted on both articles .
There aren ’ t a lot of alternative voices left in the GOP since Trump took office three years ago .
Gone from the Senate are John McCain of Arizona , Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona .
Trump ’ s most outspoken conservative critic in the House , Rep. Justin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year to become an independent .
Romney entered the Senate last year with the clout of having been the party ’ s 2012 nominee and the freedom of coming from a state that , while heavily Republican , is not in lockstep with Trump .
And most in his party had accepted his criticism of Trump over the years , even if many did not agree .
Wednesday ’ impeachment vote felt different .
And the criticism was swift and harsh .
The president ’ s oldest son , Donald Trump Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' over his failed 2012 president bid and intent on impressing elites and the mainstream media .
He added that Romney was officially `` a member the resistance & should be expelled from the @ GOP.
” Trump himself tweeted out a video that called Romney `` slick , slippery , stealthy . ''
Matt Schlapp , head of the American Conservative Union and a staunch Trump ally , said Utah now has a “ big problem ” that his group would like to help fix .
“ # DumpRomney , ” tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending this year ’ s gathering of conservative activists after Romney was one of only two Republican senators to vote for witnesses at the Senate impeachment trial .
'Another day and another vote' Romney 's Senate colleagues were generally more muted in their response , saying it would not be productive to ostracize him .
`` We do n't have any doghouses here , '' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky .
He said Romney had been `` largely supportive of most everything '' on the GOP 's congressional agenda .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted the way he did .
“ I was surprised and disappointed , ” the Senate GOP leader said .
Sen. Susan Collins , R-Maine and a key swing vote who voted to acquit the president , said while she disagreed with Romney , she has `` a lot of respect '' for him and did not think his decision would make his role in the Republican conference uncomfortable .
`` I respect his right to vote his conscience and I do n't think there ought to be retribution , '' agreed Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most powerful Senate Republican .
Lone ranger : Mitt Romney : a solitary GOP voice battling Trump for the soul of the Republican Party His GOP colleagues also knew Romney 's history as someone who had openly sparred with Trump on his way to the presidency .
In 2016 , Romney held a news conference to denounce the future president as a `` phony '' and a `` fraud . ''
`` Well , I think he and the president had a little bit of a complicated relationship to start with , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said with a smile .
“ In the ( GOP ) conference , he ’ s somebody that we all know is a very independent person .
And obviously , you know , we ’ re going to continue to work with him .
There ’ s always going to be another day and another vote . ''
A feeling of “ real dread ” had swept over Romney when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last fall launched Democrats ’ impeachment inquiry .
Romney realized he was going to have to sit in judgment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone whose policies he backs the vast majority of the time , and – despite a complicated history with Trump – someone for whom he had “ feelings of cordiality.
” “ We are collegial , ” Romney said of Trump , even though the freshman senator had published an opinion piece when he took office last year warning that Trump “ has not risen to the mantle of the office.
” “ That ’ s where he basically said , ` I want to be kind of the moral voice , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Washington University ’ s Graduate School of Political Management .
Romney was saying , “ I agree with Trump on some issues .
But this ain ’ t all about issues , ” Brown said .
But there ’ s a canyon of difference between penning an op-ed and voting to find the president guilty of an impeachable offense .
When Trump ’ s trial began in the Senate , Romney never slept past 4 a.m. His mind churned through the arguments presented by both sides and the consequence of the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican lunch during the trial , Romney stood up to address his colleagues .
A hush fell over the ornate dining room .
Some senators stopped eating .
They peered up at the former presidential candidate .
Romney argued that it was important to hear from eye witnesses , such as former national security adviser John Bolton , who could dispute or confirm the accusations against Trump .
After the lunch , Romney was denounced on Twitter by the newest member of the Senate , Kelly Loeffler , R-Ga. “ Sadly , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left by calling witnesses who will slander the @ realDonaldTrump during their 15 minutes of fame , ” Loeffler tweeted .
Loeffler had backed Romney ’ s 2012 presidential bid , including contributing with her husband a combined $ 1.5 million to a pro-Romney super PAC , according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics .
“ I can ’ t tell you the number of people who ’ ve stopped me and said , ` I gave me largest donation when Romney was running for president and I really regret that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s doing , ’ ” said David McIntosh , head of the Club for Growth , a conservative group that had opposed Trump ’ s 2016 bid but now backs his reelection .
During the impeachment process , the group aired ads in Utah to warn Romney and “ probably half a dozen colleagues in the Senate ” they were being closely watched , McIntosh said .
Bill Kristol , a leader of the conservative resistance to Trump , had offered “ a little bit of backup ” for Romney in ads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urging Republicans to “ let Bolton testify.
” “ It doesn ’ t hurt for there to be a little bit of messaging on his side , ” Kristol said .
“ For me , the story has always been the Republicans on the Hill and the pretty amazing degree to which they have decided to just capitulate to Trump.
” Romney , a devout Mormon , said his religious beliefs helped guide his thinking on impeachment .
“ I am a profoundly religious person , ” Romney wrote at the top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his GOP colleagues , signed with blue ink and delivered to their boxes in the cloakroom of the Senate floor before delivering his remarks .
During that speech , the Utah senator choked up for a few seconds as he explained how his Christian background affected his vote .
`` The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious , '' he said .
`` As a Senator-juror , I swore an oath , before God , to exercise 'impartial justice . '
I am a profoundly religious person .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequential .
I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president , the leader of my own party , would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced .
I was not wrong . ''
He 'd reached his conclusion after senators had a chance to ask questions of both sides last week and started drafting what he would say to explain a vote that `` will have impact on me and my family for a long , long time to come . ''
“ I am sure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters , ” Romney said in his floor remarks .
“ Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me ?
” 'We all need each other' After the votes were cast and counted over and the president had been acquitted , Romney quietly rose from his desk and left chamber into an uncertain political future .
He went downstairs to the line of cars awaiting the senators to come out , hopped into his and motored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'd be hard to blame him if he wanted to sort of avoid a lot of us for a while , ” said Sen. Kevin Cramer , who sits in the back of the Senate chamber near Romney .
“ It might have been awkward , but I would have tried to do my best to not make it that way .
We all need each other too much in the Senate .
”

Ledyard King, Maureen Groppe and Christal Hayes, USA TODAY

GOP Sen. Romney faces awkwardness, 'abuse' for defying Trump on impeachment
Show Caption Hide Caption Mitt Romney chokes up explaining his impeachment vote to convict Trump Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, gives emotional explanation of his decision to vote to convict President Trump in impeachment trial USA TODAY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mitt Romney sat sternly with his hands clasped in his lap Wednesday as Republican colleagues to his left and right stood up and declared President Donald Trump “not guilty” on two articles of impeachment.
One of the last to enter the Senate chamber before the historic vote, Romney had, less than three hours before, announced he would be the only member of the president’s party not to acquit him on both charges. Trump, the senator concluded, had committed an act so extreme and egregious it could not be ignored.
Wearing a navy blue suit with an American flag pin, Romney had not been greeted by his colleagues and did not boast a smile as the voting began.
When the trial ended, the Utah senator was the first to depart.
Impeachment vote: "Appalling abuse": Sen. Mitt Romney votes to convict President Trump on abuse of power charge
Romney hadn’t gamed out how to navigate what would come next.
After he’d announced his decision, Romney’s chief of staff told him it was time to shift to the second part of the plan – dealing with the backlash.
“Oh? What’s that?” Romney asked.
"We don’t have one,” the aide responded, according to Romney.
Presidential impeachment: Clinton, Johnson, Nixon test U.S. democracy Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Dwindling voices of dissent
Romney’s decision to become the first senator in U.S. history to vote for removal of a president of his own party now makes him a test case on whether the GOP is willing to accommodate dissent against a president who demands loyalty.
Romney joined Senate Democrats in voting to convict on an article accusing Trump of abusing his power by trying to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations of political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for releasing nearly $400 million in military aid. Romney voted against the second article charging Trump with obstruction of Congress. Trump was acquitted on both articles.
Read Romney's full speech: Utah senator explains decision to vote to convict Trump
There aren’t a lot of alternative voices left in the GOP since Trump took office three years ago. Gone from the Senate are John McCain of Arizona, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona. Trump’s most outspoken conservative critic in the House, Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, left the GOP last year to become an independent.
Romney entered the Senate last year with the clout of having been the party’s 2012 nominee and the freedom of coming from a state that, while heavily Republican, is not in lockstep with Trump. And most in his party had accepted his criticism of Trump over the years, even if many did not agree.
Wednesday’ impeachment vote felt different. And the criticism was swift and harsh.
Broadside from Trump at prayer breakfast
The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted that Romney was "bitter" over his failed 2012 president bid and intent on impressing elites and the mainstream media. He added that Romney was officially "a member the resistance & should be expelled from the @GOP.”
On Thursday, Trump began his own onslaught against Romney.
"I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong," Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile gathering of hundreds of faith leaders from around the country.
Though he did not mention Romney by name at the breakfast, there was no mistaking the target. The senator, a devout Mormon, had said in his floor speech that his "oath before God" was at the heart of his decision on impeachment.
Later, at a White House event to celebrate his acquittal, Trump was more direct, suggesting Romney was disgruntled over not having won the White House.
“Things can happen when you fail so badly,” Trump said. “I’m sorry about Mitt Romney.”
Matt Schlapp, head of the American Conservative Union and a staunch Trump ally, said Utah now has a “big problem” that his group would like to help fix.
“#DumpRomney,” tweeted Schlapp who had already banned Romney from attending this year’s gathering of conservative activists after Romney was one of only two Republican senators to vote for witnesses at the Senate impeachment trial.
'Another day and another vote'
Romney's Senate colleagues were generally more muted in their response, saying it would not be productive to ostracize him.
"We don't have any doghouses here," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. He said Romney had been "largely supportive of most everything" on the GOP's congressional agenda.
But McConnell said he wished Romney hadn't voted the way he did.
“I was surprised and disappointed,” the Senate GOP leader said.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a key swing vote who voted to acquit the president, said while she disagreed with Romney, she has "a lot of respect" for him and did not think his decision would make his role in the Republican conference uncomfortable.
"I respect his right to vote his conscience, and I don't think there ought to be retribution," agreed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the second most powerful Senate Republican.
Lone ranger: Mitt Romney: a solitary GOP voice battling Trump for the soul of the Republican Party
His GOP colleagues also knew Romney's history as someone who had openly sparred with Trump on his way to the presidency. In 2016, Romney held a news conference to denounce the future president as a "phony" and a "fraud."
"Well, I think he and the president had a little bit of a complicated relationship to start with,” GOP Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said with a smile. “In the (GOP) conference, he’s somebody that we all know is a very independent person. And obviously, you know, we’re going to continue to work with him. There’s always going to be another day and another vote."
Wrestling with arguments, losing sleep
A feeling of “real dread” had swept over Romney when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last fall launched Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Romney realized he was going to have to sit in judgment on the leader of his party, someone whose policies he backs the vast majority of the time, and – despite a complicated history with Trump – someone for whom he had “feelings of cordiality.”
“We are collegial,” Romney said of Trump, even though the freshman senator had published an opinion piece when he took office last year warning that Trump “has not risen to the mantle of the office.”
“That’s where he basically said, ‘I want to be kind of the moral voice,’” said Lara Brown, director of George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. Romney was saying, “I agree with Trump on a lot of issues. But this isn't always about issues. This is about principles,” Brown said.
But there’s a canyon of difference between penning an op-ed and voting to find the president guilty of an impeachable offense.
When Trump’s trial began in the Senate, Romney never slept past 4 a.m. His mind churned through the arguments presented by both sides and the consequence of the evidence he was given.
'15 minutes of fame'
At a closed-door Republican lunch during the trial, Romney stood up to address his colleagues. A hush fell over the ornate dining room. Some senators stopped eating. They peered up at the former presidential candidate.
Romney argued that it was important to hear from eye witnesses, such as former national security adviser John Bolton, who could dispute or confirm the accusations against Trump.
After the lunch, Romney was denounced on Twitter by the newest member of the Senate, Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.
“Sadly, my colleague @SenatorRomney wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander the @realDonaldTrump during their 15 minutes of fame,” Loeffler tweeted.
Loeffler had backed Romney’s 2012 presidential bid, including contributing with her husband a combined $1.5 million to a pro-Romney super PAC, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
“I can’t tell you the number of people who’ve stopped me and said, ‘I gave my largest donation when Mitt Romney was running for president and I really regret that. I don’t understand what he’s doing,’” said David McIntosh, head of the Club for Growth, a conservative group that had opposed Trump’s 2016 bid but now backs his reelection.
During the impeachment process, the group aired ads in Utah to warn Romney and “probably half a dozen colleagues in the Senate” they were being closely watched, McIntosh said.
Bill Kristol, a leader of the conservative resistance to Trump, had offered “a little bit of backup” for Romney in ads run in Utah and some other states urging Republicans to “let Bolton testify.”
“It doesn’t hurt for there to be a little bit of messaging on his side,” Kristol said. “For me, the story has always been the Republicans on the Hill and the pretty amazing degree to which they have decided to just capitulate to Trump.”
Dear fellow Republicans
In letters he gave to each of his GOP colleague before his floor speech, Romney wrote of the role his faith had played in his thinking on impeachment.
“I am a profoundly religious person,” he wrote at the top of the letters, which were signed with blue ink and delivered to senators' boxes in the cloakroom.
During his speech, the Utah senator choked up for a few seconds as he explained how his Christian background affected his vote.
"The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious," he said. "As a Senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise 'impartial justice.' I am a profoundly religious person. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong."
He'd reached his conclusion after senators had a chance to ask questions of both sides last week and started drafting what he would say to explain a vote that "will have impact on me and my family for a long, long time to come."
“I am sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters,” Romney said in his floor remarks. “Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?”
'We all need each other'
After the votes were cast and counted over and the president had been acquitted, Romney quietly rose from his desk and left chamber into an uncertain political future.
He went downstairs to the line of cars awaiting the senators to come out, hopped into his and motored away from the Capitol.
"It'd be hard to blame him if he wanted to sort of avoid a lot of us for a while,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, who sits in the back of the Senate chamber near Romney. “It might have been awkward, but I would have tried to do my best to not make it that way. We all need each other too much in the Senate.”
Contributing: Nicholas Wu, Savannah Behrmann


usatoday--2020-02-06--Trump budget proposal pitches billions for rural America, a key constituency in 2020

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will use his budget rollout next week to propose spending billions on health care , infrastructure , business loans and internet access in rural America , a key part of his constituency as he seeks reelection in November .
`` Many Americans living in rural communities continue to face barriers that prevent them from attaining the quality of life they deserve , '' said a Trump budget document provided to USA TODAY .
The administration formally proposes its Fiscal Year 2021 budget on Monday , though friction with Congress and election-year politics may make this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , budgets are as much about priorities and politics as governance .
Trump is expected to make a major appeal to rural voters in his reelection campaign , especially as it relates to farmers in key states like Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin .
Democrats , including those running for president , say that Trump 's economic policies – including tariffs , tax cuts , and regulation reductions – favor the wealthy at the expense of farmers and other residents of rural America .
State of the Union : From a snub to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this was not your typical address Discussing the rural plan on condition of anonymity because the budget has not yet been released , officials pointed to several proposals in the budget , including : – A $ 1.5 billion loan level for rural business and industry guaranteed loans ; $ 8.9 billion in farm loans ; and $ 25 billion for a new `` Revitalizing Rural America '' grant program to help areas with broadband , transportation , water and road and bridge projects .
– $ 614 million in funding for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and $ 5.5 billion in rural electric loans .
– $ 250 million for a Department of Agriculture Rural e-Connectivity `` ReConnect '' pilot program , $ 690 million in loans to finance broadband infrastructure deployment of rural telecommunication facilities , and $ 30 million for the `` Community Connect grant program '' that targets remote areas .
– Funding for health care programs that include what the budget plan calls `` telemedicine services , '' rural health clinics , and new emergency hospitals .
The proposed budget will also call for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs in rural areas .
– $ 13.5 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education to expand broadband access in areas that are home to Native Americans .
It is difficult to put a price tag on Trump 's `` rural program , '' officials said .
Some proposals are additions to existing programs , some are part of mandatory spending , and some could be applied to urban and suburban areas as well .
'Pelosi disgraced herself ' : GOP outraged by Pelosi ripping up Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no way these plans will pass Congress intact , certainly not in an election year and with Democrats controlling the House .
These days , Congress does n't pass annual budgets per se .
They approve a series of temporary spending plans to keep the government funded .
Trump 's budget plan will also emphasize items like border security , national defense , job training , and economic development programs designed to enhance what the Trump administration calls `` American Competitiveness . ''
Democratic presidential candidates are also pursuing rural votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they have said that Trump 's policies have been bad for rural America , particularly farmers .
They have focused on tariffs on China and other countries that have raised the prices of products and make it harder for U.S. farmers to sell goods overseas .
Trump impeachment trial : What we learned ( and still do n't know ) after the saga Former Iowa Lt. Gov .
Patty Judge , a Democrat co-founder of the organization Focus on Rural America , said Trump 's overall economic approach has made it harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to facilitate better access to health care and business development information .
`` We have got to hold Trump accountable for every failure and broken promise he deals to rural communities , '' Judge said , `` whether on trade , waivers to oil and gas companies , or infrastructure . ''
Priorities USA , the largest Democratic Super PAC focused on the presidential election , said polling in battleground states shows that `` rural voters do have a slightly favorable opinion of Trump and his work on the economy . ''
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned about health care and also do n't see themselves as thriving under Trump 's economy . ''

Trump budget proposal pitches billions for rural America, a key constituency in 2020
Show Caption Hide Caption Impeachment trial: The Senate voted to acquit President Trump The Senate voted to acquit President Trump on the two articles of impeachment he was being accused of. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will use his budget rollout next week to propose spending billions on health care, infrastructure, business loans and internet access in rural America, a key part of his constituency as he seeks reelection in November.
"Many Americans living in rural communities continue to face barriers that prevent them from attaining the quality of life they deserve," said a Trump budget document provided to USA TODAY.
The administration formally proposes its Fiscal Year 2021 budget on Monday, though friction with Congress and election-year politics may make this plan more contentious than most.
Still, budgets are as much about priorities and politics as governance.
Trump is expected to make a major appeal to rural voters in his reelection campaign, especially as it relates to farmers in key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Democrats, including those running for president, say that Trump's economic policies – including tariffs, tax cuts, and regulation reductions – favor the wealthy at the expense of farmers and other residents of rural America.
State of the Union: From a snub to a ripped speech to heavy campaign messaging, this was not your typical address
Discussing the rural plan on condition of anonymity because the budget has not yet been released, officials pointed to several proposals in the budget, including:
– A $1.5 billion loan level for rural business and industry guaranteed loans; $8.9 billion in farm loans; and $25 billion for a new "Revitalizing Rural America" grant program to help areas with broadband, transportation, water and road and bridge projects.
– $614 million in funding for water and wastewater grants and loans, and $5.5 billion in rural electric loans.
– $250 million for a Department of Agriculture Rural e-Connectivity "ReConnect" pilot program, $690 million in loans to finance broadband infrastructure deployment of rural telecommunication facilities, and $30 million for the "Community Connect grant program" that targets remote areas.
– Funding for health care programs that include what the budget plan calls "telemedicine services," rural health clinics, and new emergency hospitals. The proposed budget will also call for the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide more programs in rural areas.
– $13.5 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education to expand broadband access in areas that are home to Native Americans.
It is difficult to put a price tag on Trump's "rural program," officials said. Some proposals are additions to existing programs, some are part of mandatory spending, and some could be applied to urban and suburban areas as well.
'Pelosi disgraced herself': GOP outraged by Pelosi ripping up Trump State of the Union speech
Also, there is no way these plans will pass Congress intact, certainly not in an election year and with Democrats controlling the House.
These days, Congress doesn't pass annual budgets per se. They approve a series of temporary spending plans to keep the government funded.
Trump's budget plan will also emphasize items like border security, national defense, job training, and economic development programs designed to enhance what the Trump administration calls "American Competitiveness."
Democratic presidential candidates are also pursuing rural votes. In states like Iowa and elsewhere, they have said that Trump's policies have been bad for rural America, particularly farmers. They have focused on tariffs on China and other countries that have raised the prices of products and make it harder for U.S. farmers to sell goods overseas.
Trump impeachment trial: What we learned (and still don't know) after the saga
Former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, a Democrat co-founder of the organization Focus on Rural America, said Trump's overall economic approach has made it harder for rural Americans to obtain high-speed Internet to facilitate better access to health care and business development information.
"We have got to hold Trump accountable for every failure and broken promise he deals to rural communities," Judge said, "whether on trade, waivers to oil and gas companies, or infrastructure."
Priorities USA, the largest Democratic Super PAC focused on the presidential election, said polling in battleground states shows that "rural voters do have a slightly favorable opinion of Trump and his work on the economy." But it added that rural residents "are concerned about health care and also don't see themselves as thriving under Trump's economy."


usatoday--2020-02-06--96% of Iowa precincts are reported, but there's still no caucus winner; Buttigieg, Sanders neck and

Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders are separated by the slimmest of margins in the latest update to Iowa 's Democratic caucus results .
A fresh round of results around 12:15 a.m .
ET Thursday showed the former mayor 's state delegate equivalent lead down to 3 over the Vermont senator .
Sanders , meanwhile , maintained a lead of more than 2,000 votes in the final alignment popular vote .
The partial results almost counted be closer : Buttigieg has 26.2 % of state delegate equivalents , while Sanders has 26.1 % .
The Associated Press reported that results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all precincts , but the number of state delegate equivalents still available to be won means they will not yet call a winner in the race .
In a press release sent at just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday , the Iowa Democratic Party said it has reported `` 1,711 precincts across the state , nation , and overseas – accounting for 97 percent of the precincts .
We have collected information from all but one precinct , and those records are in transit '' The release went on to say `` the IDP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collect results for precincts that were not received on caucus night .
We started with 500 outstanding precincts and now have 53 that are in the process of being reviewed . ''
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in third place with 18.2 % , former Vice President Joe Biden was fourth with 15.8 % and Sen. Amy Klobuchar was fifth with 12.2 % .
The partial update early Thursday was the latest round in a dribbling in of results since the Iowa Democratic Party on Tuesday announced only some results would be announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smooth sailing .
Minutes after an update came in around 4:40 p.m .
ET Wednesday , the Iowa Democratic Party tweeted that there was a small error , and updated results would be coming soon .
The error in results briefly showed Buttigieg taking the lead in the popular vote of the final alignment .
But within 15 minutes , updated results showed Sanders maintaining the lead in popular vote he has held since Tuesday .
In Des Moines ' 55th precinct caucus , which was held in the lobby of the office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the results issued before the correction showed Deval Patrick earning the support of 191 people in the first alignment and 218 in the final alignment .
Those numbers actually belonged to Sanders .
The numbers reported by the party also showed Tom Steyer earning support that actually belonged to Warren .
And no support was tallied for Yang or `` uncommitted , '' though there were some supporters in the room .
After a massive meltdown in producing the results for Monday 's Iowa caucuses , state Democratic party officials were still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An initial set of results accounting for 62 % of the state 's precincts was released Tuesday afternoon followed a few hours later by additional results .
The Sanders campaign has made a point on several occasions to note that while Buttigieg has a lead in state delegate equivalents ( or SDEs ) , the Vermont senator is leading in the final alignment popular vote .
`` We want to thank the people of Iowa .
We are gratified that in the partial data released so far it ’ s clear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field , '' Sanders senior advisor Jeff Weaver said in a statement Tuesday .
But how can that be ?
Dig deeper : Could multiple candidates 'win ' the Iowa Democratic caucus ?
New rules make it possible .
Well , you remember 2016 , when Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Republican Donald Trump won the Electoral College ?
Iowa SDEs are awarded in a similar Electoral College-style system based on prior Democratic votes in the area .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of people in a candidate 's preference group , as well as the total number of people at the precinct , are entered into a formula that spits out the SDEs each candidate can be awarded from that precinct .
Those state delegate equivalents are used to allocate how many delegates to the Democratic National Convention each candidate earned and to determine who won the caucuses .
So while Buttigieg has the current lead in SDEs , and Sanders currently has the popular vote lead in the final alignment numbers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of delegate to the national convention ( 10 ) , which is what will eventually determine who the Democratic nominee is .
As of noon ET Wednesday , there were still roughly 30 % of the results yet to be reported — and 17 national delegates yet to be awarded — so no overall winner has been named .
Biden : 'We took a gut punch in Iowa' Former Vice President Joe Biden made light of Iowa 's vote counting problems at an event in New Hampshire Wednesday , but conceded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .
`` At this rate , New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote , '' he quipped before adding , `` I 'm not going to sugarcoat it .
We took a gut punch in Iowa .
The whole process took a gut punch .
But this is n't the first time in my life I 've been knocked down . ''
Biden , who is in fourth place with 71 % of the precincts reporting , had previously tried to put a more positive spin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We had a good night last night in Iowa , '' he said Tuesday .
`` We think we ’ re going to come out of there really doing well . ''
`` But be careful what you say , because it 's not done yet . ''
Campaigns , party volunteers and regular Iowans have expressed confusion and frustration at the lack of clarity on what is often one of the most closely-watched nights in American presidential politics .
`` I apologize deeply for this , '' said Iowa Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an app that caucus precinct chairs said failed to work properly , a back-up phone system for relaying results that was bogged down with callers and a new reporting structure that left Democrats working to verify three times the results as previous years .
It wasn ’ t the first time the Iowa caucuses have produced late results , but issues come after months of heightened criticism of the caucus process and calls for Iowa to lose its vaunted first-in-the-nation status .
`` I 've said this entire time that we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary is done … the debate thresholds , the order of the states , the caucus versus primary , '' said former housing secretary Julián Castro , a surrogate for Warren 's campaign .
`` What happened ( Monday night ) made the argument for itself .
Nobody can deny this is a broken way to do it .
It was a total mess . ''
The Iowa Democratic Party said the `` underlying data collected '' on the app used to report caucus results `` was sound '' but the system was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were manually recounting the results .
After the problems emerged in Iowa , frustrated candidates and their campaigns headed to New Hampshire , which holds its primary on Tuesday .
While speaking at an event in Laconia , New Hampshire , Buttigieg choked up after speaking about the preliminary results .
`` It validates the idea that we can expand a coalition not only unified around who it is we 're against but around what it is that we 're for , '' he said .
Sanders ' senior advisor Jeff Weaver praised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raw vote totals , not state delegate equivalents .
“ We want to thank the people of Iowa .
We are gratified that in the partial data released so far it ’ s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field , '' Weaver said in a statement .
Shadow , Inc. regrets its role in vote count delay The tech firm behind the app that contributed to the reporting delays said on Twitter Tuesday , `` We sincerely regret the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and `` the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates , their campaigns , and Democratic caucus-goers . ''
The company also said it had `` corrected the underlying technology issue . ''
`` We take these issues very seriously , and are committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party ’ s goal of modernizing its election processes , '' read one post from Shadow Inc. 's official account .
Contributing : Rebecca Morin of USA TODAY and Barbara Rodriguez of the Des Moines Register

Annah Aschbrenner, Joey Garrison and Caren Bohan, USA TODAY

96% of Iowa precincts are reported, but there's still no caucus winner; Buttigieg, Sanders neck and neck — updates
Show Caption Hide Caption Candidates give speeches amid Democratic Iowa caucus delays With no winner declared on the night of the Democratic Iowa caucuses amid delays, the candidates still gave speeches. USA TODAY
Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders are separated by the slimmest of margins in the latest update to Iowa's Democratic caucus results.
A fresh round of results around 12:15 a.m. ET Thursday showed the former mayor's state delegate equivalent lead down to 3 over the Vermont senator. Sanders, meanwhile, maintained a lead of more than 2,000 votes in the final alignment popular vote.
The partial results almost counted be closer: Buttigieg has 26.2% of state delegate equivalents, while Sanders has 26.1%.
The Associated Press reported that results had been published from 96.43% of all precincts, but the number of state delegate equivalents still available to be won means they will not yet call a winner in the race.
In a press release sent at just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday, the Iowa Democratic Party said it has reported "1,711 precincts across the state, nation, and overseas – accounting for 97 percent of the precincts. We have collected information from all but one precinct, and those records are in transit"
The release went on to say "the IDP implemented an immediate, large-scale effort to collect results for precincts that were not received on caucus night. We started with 500 outstanding precincts and now have 53 that are in the process of being reviewed."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in third place with 18.2%, former Vice President Joe Biden was fourth with 15.8% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar was fifth with 12.2%.
The partial update early Thursday was the latest round in a dribbling in of results since the Iowa Democratic Party on Tuesday announced only some results would be announced that day. And it hasn't been smooth sailing.
Minutes after an update came in around 4:40 p.m. ET Wednesday, the Iowa Democratic Party tweeted that there was a small error, and updated results would be coming soon. The error in results briefly showed Buttigieg taking the lead in the popular vote of the final alignment. But within 15 minutes, updated results showed Sanders maintaining the lead in popular vote he has held since Tuesday.
In Des Moines' 55th precinct caucus, which was held in the lobby of the office building home to the Des Moines Register, the results issued before the correction showed Deval Patrick earning the support of 191 people in the first alignment and 218 in the final alignment. Those numbers actually belonged to Sanders.
The numbers reported by the party also showed Tom Steyer earning support that actually belonged to Warren. And no support was tallied for Yang or "uncommitted," though there were some supporters in the room.
After a massive meltdown in producing the results for Monday's Iowa caucuses, state Democratic party officials were still unable to declare a winner that night. An initial set of results accounting for 62% of the state's precincts was released Tuesday afternoon followed a few hours later by additional results.
The popular vote vs. state delegate equivalents
The Sanders campaign has made a point on several occasions to note that while Buttigieg has a lead in state delegate equivalents (or SDEs), the Vermont senator is leading in the final alignment popular vote.
"We want to thank the people of Iowa. We are gratified that in the partial data released so far it’s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field," Sanders senior advisor Jeff Weaver said in a statement Tuesday.
But how can that be?
Dig deeper: Could multiple candidates 'win' the Iowa Democratic caucus? New rules make it possible.
Well, you remember 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Republican Donald Trump won the Electoral College? Iowa SDEs are awarded in a similar Electoral College-style system based on prior Democratic votes in the area.
After the final alignment at a caucus precinct, the number of people in a candidate's preference group, as well as the total number of people at the precinct, are entered into a formula that spits out the SDEs each candidate can be awarded from that precinct.
Those state delegate equivalents are used to allocate how many delegates to the Democratic National Convention each candidate earned and to determine who won the caucuses.
So while Buttigieg has the current lead in SDEs, and Sanders currently has the popular vote lead in the final alignment numbers, both have so far earned the same number of delegate to the national convention (10), which is what will eventually determine who the Democratic nominee is.
As of noon ET Wednesday, there were still roughly 30% of the results yet to be reported — and 17 national delegates yet to be awarded — so no overall winner has been named.
– Annah Aschbrenner, USA TODAY
Biden: 'We took a gut punch in Iowa'
Former Vice President Joe Biden made light of Iowa's vote counting problems at an event in New Hampshire Wednesday, but conceded the results have been a blow to his campaign.
"At this rate, New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote," he quipped before adding, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch. But this isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down."
Biden, who is in fourth place with 71% of the precincts reporting, had previously tried to put a more positive spin on his performances in the caucuses.
"We had a good night last night in Iowa," he said Tuesday. "We think we’re going to come out of there really doing well."
"But be careful what you say, because it's not done yet."
–William Cummings, USA TODAY
Lots of frustration at results delays
Campaigns, party volunteers and regular Iowans have expressed confusion and frustration at the lack of clarity on what is often one of the most closely-watched nights in American presidential politics.
"I apologize deeply for this," said Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price.
At issue: an app that caucus precinct chairs said failed to work properly, a back-up phone system for relaying results that was bogged down with callers and a new reporting structure that left Democrats working to verify three times the results as previous years.
It wasn’t the first time the Iowa caucuses have produced late results, but issues come after months of heightened criticism of the caucus process and calls for Iowa to lose its vaunted first-in-the-nation status.
"I've said this entire time that we’re going to have to evaluate after this primary is done … the debate thresholds, the order of the states, the caucus versus primary," said former housing secretary Julián Castro, a surrogate for Warren's campaign. "What happened (Monday night) made the argument for itself. Nobody can deny this is a broken way to do it. It was a total mess."
Iowa caucus: Just how much influence does it have on the primary? The Iowa caucus is sure to be competitive this year. But what makes caucuses different from primaries? Just the FAQs
The Iowa Democratic Party said the "underlying data collected" on the app used to report caucus results "was sound" but the system was only reporting out partial data. Democrats were manually recounting the results.
After the problems emerged in Iowa, frustrated candidates and their campaigns headed to New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Tuesday.
While speaking at an event in Laconia, New Hampshire, Buttigieg choked up after speaking about the preliminary results.
"It validates the idea that we can expand a coalition not only unified around who it is we're against but around what it is that we're for," he said.
Sanders' senior advisor Jeff Weaver praised the Vermont senator's standing with the raw vote totals, not state delegate equivalents.
“We want to thank the people of Iowa. We are gratified that in the partial data released so far it’s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field," Weaver said in a statement.
- Caren Bohan, USA TODAY
Shadow, Inc. regrets its role in vote count delay
The tech firm behind the app that contributed to the reporting delays said on Twitter Tuesday, "We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results" and "the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers."
The company also said it had "corrected the underlying technology issue."
"We take these issues very seriously, and are committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party’s goal of modernizing its election processes," read one post from Shadow Inc.'s official account.
Shadow is an independent, for-profit technology company that contracted with the Iowa Democratic Party to build a caucus reporting mobile app, which was optional for local officials to use. The goal of the app was to ensure accuracy in a complex reporting process. — Shadow, Inc. (@ShadowIncHQ) February 4, 2020
– William Cummings, USA TODAY
Contributing: Rebecca Morin of USA TODAY and Barbara Rodriguez of the Des Moines Register


usatoday--2020-02-06--While Iowa keeps counting, candidates hit the trail in New Hampshire to spin incomplete results

NASHUA , N.H. – Facing pressure to deliver a strong performance in New Hampshire next week after a likely third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses , Elizabeth Warren would not say Wednesday whether she needs an outright win in her neighboring state .
“ To me , this isn ’ t about the numbers as much as it is about the people , the enthusiasm , ” the Massachusetts U.S. senator told reporters following a campaign rally here .
“ I ’ m out here talking to people who are ready get in this fight and ready to make real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m here.
” Warren was among nine Democratic candidates for president were on the ground in New Hampshire , even as they continued to wait for final results from Iowa , where Democrats are still working to verify results more than 48 hours after the caucuses .
Former mayor Pete Buttigieg , who holds a slim lead in Iowa 's state delegate equivalents , took the time to knock the idea of tribalism within Democratic ranks .
Sen. Bernie Sanders touted his lead in Iowa 's popular vote and contrasted himself with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted for Trump 's removal from office .
And after a likely fourth-place finish , former Vice President Joe Biden told a New Hampshire crowd `` we took a gut punch in Iowa . '
The New Hampshire electorate in some way seems to be responding to what 's happening in Iowa .
A Suffolk University tracking poll of the state 's presidential primary released late Wednesday saw Sanders leading , as he has for weeks .
He had 25 % .
Buttigieg followed with 19 % , seeing a jump of 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 12 % , down 6 points , and Warren was at 11 % , down 2 .
All four candidates have at times led polls in New Hampshire .
Warren started to slide in both national and state polls beginning in the fall , coinciding with a rocky rollout of her Medicare for All plan .
At the same time Buttigieg saw his numbers skyrocket in New Hampshire .
But since December , Sanders , the primary ’ s other candidate in the progressive lane , had led consistently and he opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ framed her campaign 's finish as being “ in the top three in Iowa , ” pointed to the long road ahead and touted her campaign ’ s organization .
“ Now we ’ ve landed in New Hampshire and we ’ re out here fighting for every vote in New Hampshire , and after this , we ’ ve got 55 more states and territories , ” she said .
“ We already have on-the-field operations in 31 states and 1,000 people .
This is an operation that is built for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every minute of it.
” Sanders won the 2016 New Hampshire Democratic primary by a large margin , has led polls here for weeks , and is expected to perform well in next week 's primary .
He was greeted by a cheering crowd of 1,000 people Tuesday for his first Granite State event after leaving Iowa .
“ New Hampshire goes first in terms of primaries .
You go first .
The whole country will be watching , '' he told the crowd in Milford .
`` And a week from tonight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell not only this nation , but the entire world , that we together will stand for justice , for compassion and for children.
” Sanders held one event Wednesday before heading back to D.C. to vote in Trump 's impeachment trial .
He called it a `` solemn day for the country . ''
`` The president 's job is to bring people together , '' he told the crowd in Derry , according to the Eagle-Tribune .
`` Today , we have a president trying to divide us for clearly political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House is exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing .
We will end the divisiveness in this country and bring people together with an agenda that works for working people . ''
He was bullish on his chances in Iowa , where he was winning the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses final realignment .
“ In Iowa they have a complicated system and there 's a realignment vote-we 're winning that one as well , Sanders said , according to CNN .
`` We 're going to have an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the national convention.
” Buttigieg makes play for support from the middle Earlier in the day , Buttigieg , who emerged as either the first or second place finisher in Iowa , seemed to frame his politics as an alternative to the revolution-minded Sanders and the establishment Biden .
“ We do not have to be tribal in our politics of the future , '' he said , addressing a youth environment town hall in Concord .
`` And in fact , in order to solve our big problems , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are options somewhere in between a revolution and the status quo . ''
He added : `` In order to govern , as well as to lead , we 've got to enlist the energies of people from my party , independents and some number of people who are accustomed to being in the other party . ''
Biden : 'This is n't the first time ...
I 've been knocked down' During a campaign stop in Somersworth , New Hampshire , Biden made light of Iowa 's vote counting problems Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a blow to his campaign .
`` At this rate , New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote , '' he quipped before adding , `` I 'm not going to sugarcoat it .
We took a gut punch in Iowa .
The whole process took a gut punch .
But this is n't the first time in my life I 've been knocked down . ''
Biden , who was in fourth place , had previously tried to put a more positive spin on his performances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good night last night in Iowa , '' he said Tuesday .
`` We think we ’ re going to come out of there really doing well .
But be careful what you say , because it 's not done yet . ''
Biden also took aim at the likely top two finishers in Iowa , Buttigieg and Sanders , arguing both would be risky nominees to take on President Donald Trump .
“ If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party , every Democrat in America up and down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ label Sen. Sanders has chose for himself , ” Biden said , according to the Associated Press .
“ He calls himself a democratic socialist .
Well , we ’ re already seeing what Donald Trump is going to do with that.
” Biden said he had “ great respect ” for Buttigieg but didn ’ t think the nominee should be someone whose highest office is mayor of South Bend , Indiana , a city of about 100,000 .
“ It ’ s a risk , to be just straight up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , speaking to a couple hundred voters inside a gym at Nashua Community College , did not stray from her standard stump speech , calling for “ big structural change ” to take on money and corruption in Washington .
“ Our No .
1 job in November is to beat Donald Trump , ” Warren said .
“ I am the best candidate to do that because I know how to fight and I know how to win .
What does it take to win in November ?
The answer is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pull our party together .
We can not repeat 2016.
” Contributing : USA TODAY reporter Will Cummings , and the Associated Press .

While Iowa keeps counting, candidates hit the trail in New Hampshire to spin incomplete results
Show Caption Hide Caption Candidates give speeches amid Democratic Iowa caucus delays With no winner declared on the night of the Democratic Iowa caucuses amid delays, the candidates still gave speeches. USA TODAY
NASHUA, N.H. – Facing pressure to deliver a strong performance in New Hampshire next week after a likely third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Elizabeth Warren would not say Wednesday whether she needs an outright win in her neighboring state.
“To me, this isn’t about the numbers as much as it is about the people, the enthusiasm,” the Massachusetts U.S. senator told reporters following a campaign rally here. “I’m out here talking to people who are ready get in this fight and ready to make real change. That’s why I’m here.”
Warren was among nine Democratic candidates for president were on the ground in New Hampshire, even as they continued to wait for final results from Iowa, where Democrats are still working to verify results more than 48 hours after the caucuses.
Former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who holds a slim lead in Iowa's state delegate equivalents, took the time to knock the idea of tribalism within Democratic ranks. Sen. Bernie Sanders touted his lead in Iowa's popular vote and contrasted himself with President Donald Trump on the day he voted for Trump's removal from office. And after a likely fourth-place finish, former Vice President Joe Biden told a New Hampshire crowd "we took a gut punch in Iowa.'
The New Hampshire electorate in some way seems to be responding to what's happening in Iowa. A Suffolk University tracking poll of the state's presidential primary released late Wednesday saw Sanders leading, as he has for weeks. He had 25%. Buttigieg followed with 19%, seeing a jump of 8 points since Monday, while Biden was at 12%, down 6 points, and Warren was at 11%, down 2.
All four candidates have at times led polls in New Hampshire. Warren started to slide in both national and state polls beginning in the fall, coinciding with a rocky rollout of her Medicare for All plan. At the same time Buttigieg saw his numbers skyrocket in New Hampshire. But since December, Sanders, the primary’s other candidate in the progressive lane, had led consistently and he opened a wide margin in January.
Warren framed her campaign's finish as being “in the top three in Iowa,” pointed to the long road ahead and touted her campaign’s organization.
“Now we’ve landed in New Hampshire and we’re out here fighting for every vote in New Hampshire, and after this, we’ve got 55 more states and territories,” she said. “We already have on-the-field operations in 31 states and 1,000 people. This is an operation that is built for the long haul and I’m loving every minute of it.”
Sanders confident in his Iowa standing
Sanders won the 2016 New Hampshire Democratic primary by a large margin, has led polls here for weeks, and is expected to perform well in next week's primary. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of 1,000 people Tuesday for his first Granite State event after leaving Iowa.
“New Hampshire goes first in terms of primaries. You go first. The whole country will be watching," he told the crowd in Milford. "And a week from tonight, New Hampshire has the opportunity to tell not only this nation, but the entire world, that we together will stand for justice, for compassion and for children.”
Sanders: We're going to do very, very well While votes are still being counted in Iowa, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said he had "a good feeling we're going to be doing very, very well" once results come in. (Feb. 4) AP
Sanders held one event Wednesday before heading back to D.C. to vote in Trump's impeachment trial.
He called it a "solemn day for the country."
"The president's job is to bring people together," he told the crowd in Derry, according to the Eagle-Tribune. "Today, we have a president trying to divide us for clearly political gain. What we will do in the White House is exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing. We will end the divisiveness in this country and bring people together with an agenda that works for working people."
He was bullish on his chances in Iowa, where he was winning the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses final realignment.
“In Iowa they have a complicated system and there's a realignment vote-we're winning that one as well, Sanders said, according to CNN. "We're going to have an equal number of delegates from Iowa going to the national convention.”
Buttigieg makes play for support from the middle
Earlier in the day, Buttigieg, who emerged as either the first or second place finisher in Iowa, seemed to frame his politics as an alternative to the revolution-minded Sanders and the establishment Biden.
“We do not have to be tribal in our politics of the future," he said, addressing a youth environment town hall in Concord. "And in fact, in order to solve our big problems, we’re going to have to recognize that there are options somewhere in between a revolution and the status quo."
He added: "In order to govern, as well as to lead, we've got to enlist the energies of people from my party, independents and some number of people who are accustomed to being in the other party."
Biden: 'This isn't the first time ... I've been knocked down'
During a campaign stop in Somersworth, New Hampshire, Biden made light of Iowa's vote counting problems Wednesday, but conceded the results have been a blow to his campaign.
"At this rate, New Hampshire will be the first in the country to get to vote," he quipped before adding, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch. But this isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down."
Biden, who was in fourth place, had previously tried to put a more positive spin on his performances in the caucuses.
"We had a good night last night in Iowa," he said Tuesday. "We think we’re going to come out of there really doing well. But be careful what you say, because it's not done yet."
Difference between caucus and primary, explained The 2020 election is nearing and with that, comes the caucuses and primary elections. But what’s the difference? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Biden also took aim at the likely top two finishers in Iowa, Buttigieg and Sanders, arguing both would be risky nominees to take on President Donald Trump.
“If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party, every Democrat in America up and down the ballot ... will have to carry the label Sen. Sanders has chose for himself,” Biden said, according to the Associated Press. “He calls himself a democratic socialist. Well, we’re already seeing what Donald Trump is going to do with that.”
Biden said he had “great respect” for Buttigieg but didn’t think the nominee should be someone whose highest office is mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a city of about 100,000.
“It’s a risk, to be just straight up with you,” he said.
Warren, speaking to a couple hundred voters inside a gym at Nashua Community College, did not stray from her standard stump speech, calling for “big structural change” to take on money and corruption in Washington.
“Our No. 1 job in November is to beat Donald Trump,” Warren said. “I am the best candidate to do that because I know how to fight and I know how to win. What does it take to win in November? The answer is, first, we’ve got to pull our party together. We cannot repeat 2016.”
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
Contributing: USA TODAY reporter Will Cummings, and the Associated Press.


usatoday--2020-02-06--Donald Trump celebrates impeachment acquittal by taunting Democrats with video

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump celebrated his acquittal on two articles of impeachment Wednesday by taunting Democrats via Twitter .
Just minutes after the Senate vote , Trump tweeted out a 30-second video featuring a Time magazine cover with the blaring headline : `` How Trumpism Will Outlast Trump . ''
The clip included mock campaign signs showing Trump running for president every four years through the next century and ends with the phrase `` Trump 4EVA . ''
Trump announced he would make a public statement about impeachment from the White House at noon Thursday .
Trump has talked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might say after acquittal , said aides who were not authorized to discuss the conversations .
He even brought up the topic at a lunch with television anchors to discuss the State of the Union speech .
One participant said he talked more excitedly about his impeachment speech than he did the State of the Union .
Read the White House 's response : 'As we have said all along , he is not guilty' Meanwhile , Republicans cast the Senate vote as an exoneration of Trump while Democrats accused the GOP-led Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his actions .
`` The sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump , '' White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement .
Grisham also took aim at Utah Sen. Mitt Romney , the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the only GOP senator to vote to convict Trump of abuse of power .
`` Only the president ’ s political opponents – all Democrats , and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign said he had been `` totally vindicated '' by the Senate .
“ The do-nothing Democrats know they can ’ t beat him , so they had to impeach him , ” campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement .
“ This impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history , ” Parscale added .
What 's next ?
: The trial is over ; Trump won .
Now get ready for the political fallout .
On Twitter , White House counselor Kellyanne Conway expressed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ # AcquittedForever.
” The president ’ s son Donald Trump Jr. suggested that now that impeachment is over , “ maybe Democrats can actually come to the table and try to do some work for the American people for a change.
” Trump Jr. also called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican Party .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , criticized the Senate verdict , saying Trump and Senate Republicans `` have normalized lawlessness and rejected the system of checks and balances of our Constitution .
`` Our Founders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against a rogue president , '' Pelosi said .
`` They never imagined that they would at the same time have a rogue leader in the Senate who would cowardly abandon his duty to uphold the Constitution . ''
With the Senate vote , `` the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy , with his insistence that he is above the law , '' Pelosi said .
House Majority Leader Steny , Hoyer , D-Md.
, called the Senate vote `` a sad day for our republic . ''
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if its chief executive can not be held in check by representatives of the people and the states , particularly one who has already demonstrated a disdain for the rule of law and the role of an independent judiciary , '' Hoyer said .
Romney 's vote : 'Appalling abuse ' : Sen. Mitt Romney votes to convict President Trump on abuse of power charge Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , Trump ’ s Democratic opponent in the 2016 campaign , noted that Republican senators pledged an oath at the start of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Today , 52 of them voted to betray that oath – and all of us , ” she tweeted .
“ We ’ re entering dangerous territory for our democracy .
It ’ ll take all of us working together to restore it . ''
Sen. Debbie Stabenow , D-Mich. , said she is `` disheartened that partisanship won over the willingness to have a fair , bipartisan trial with credible witnesses and documents . ''
Michael Collins and David Jackson cover the White House .
Reach Collins on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Michael Collins and David Jackson, USA TODAY

Donald Trump celebrates impeachment acquittal by taunting Democrats with video
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump is acquitted on both impeachment articles President Donald Trump was acquitted on both articles of impeachment, 52-48 on Article 1 and 53-47 on Article 2. USA TODAY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump celebrated his acquittal on two articles of impeachment Wednesday by taunting Democrats via Twitter.
Just minutes after the Senate vote, Trump tweeted out a 30-second video featuring a Time magazine cover with the blaring headline: "How Trumpism Will Outlast Trump." The clip included mock campaign signs showing Trump running for president every four years through the next century and ends with the phrase "Trump 4EVA."
Trump announced he would make a public statement about impeachment from the White House at noon Thursday.
Trump has talked with people for days about what he might say after acquittal, said aides who were not authorized to discuss the conversations.
He even brought up the topic at a lunch with television anchors to discuss the State of the Union speech. One participant said he talked more excitedly about his impeachment speech than he did the State of the Union.
Read the White House's response: 'As we have said all along, he is not guilty'
Presidential impeachment: Clinton, Johnson, Nixon test U.S. democracy Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Meanwhile, Republicans cast the Senate vote as an exoneration of Trump while Democrats accused the GOP-led Senate of refusing to hold the president accountable for his actions.
"The sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
Grisham also took aim at Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the only GOP senator to vote to convict Trump of abuse of power.
"Only the president’s political opponents – all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles," she said.
Late Wednesday, Trump tweeted a one-minute video mocking Romney as "slippery" and a "Democrat secret asset."
Acquittal protests: Hundreds of anti-Trump protests planned nationwide after impeachment acquittal
Trump's reelection campaign said he had been "totally vindicated" by the Senate.
“The do-nothing Democrats know they can’t beat him, so they had to impeach him,” campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement.
“This impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history,” Parscale added.
What's next?: The trial is over; Trump won. Now get ready for the political fallout.
On Twitter, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway expressed her reaction to the vote with the hashtag “#AcquittedForever.”
The president’s son Donald Trump Jr. suggested that now that impeachment is over, “maybe Democrats can actually come to the table and try to do some work for the American people for a change.”
“But I won’t hold my breath,” he added.
Trump Jr. also called for Romney to be expelled from the Republican Party.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized the Senate verdict, saying Trump and Senate Republicans "have normalized lawlessness and rejected the system of checks and balances of our Constitution.
"Our Founders put safeguards in the Constitution to protect against a rogue president," Pelosi said. "They never imagined that they would at the same time have a rogue leader in the Senate who would cowardly abandon his duty to uphold the Constitution."
With the Senate vote, "the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy, with his insistence that he is above the law," Pelosi said.
House Majority Leader Steny, Hoyer, D-Md., called the Senate vote "a sad day for our republic."
"I worry for the future of our republic if its chief executive cannot be held in check by representatives of the people and the states, particularly one who has already demonstrated a disdain for the rule of law and the role of an independent judiciary," Hoyer said.
Romney's vote: 'Appalling abuse': Sen. Mitt Romney votes to convict President Trump on abuse of power charge
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the 2016 campaign, noted that Republican senators pledged an oath at the start of the impeachment trial to defend the Constitution.
"Today, 52 of them voted to betray that oath – and all of us,” she tweeted. “We’re entering dangerous territory for our democracy. It’ll take all of us working together to restore it."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said she is "disheartened that partisanship won over the willingness to have a fair, bipartisan trial with credible witnesses and documents."
Michael Collins and David Jackson cover the White House. Reach Collins on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS and Jackson @djusatoday.


usatoday--2020-02-06--Justice Department investigating Mississippi prison conditions amid slew of deaths

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into conditions in Mississippi prisons amid a statewide crisis that has resulted in deaths and riots in several facilities , officials announced Wednesday .
Pressure has been mounting for the Justice Department to investigate allegations of violence , abuse and deplorable conditions inside Mississippi ’ s prisons .
Fifteen inmates have died since late December , many after stabbings and fights at the state penitentiary in Parchman , Mississippi 's oldest prison .
Facilities have been plagued with gang-related killings and riots that forced state officials to impose lockdowns .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisons around the state : Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman , Southern Mississippi Correctional Institution , Central Mississippi Correctional Facility , and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility .
Officials will look at whether the Mississippi Department of Corrections protects prisoners from being harmed by other prisoners , and whether the facilities have adequate suicide prevention programs and mental health care , the Justice Department said in a news release .
Officials will also review the use of solitary confinement at the Parchman facility .
In a statement , Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I have been made aware of the conditions with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and my office immediately took a proactive position to meet and address these challenges .
I visited Parchman personally and my staff and I have had conversations with the Department of Justice and others about next steps , '' Fitch said .
Mississippi Gov .
Tate Reeves has ordered prison officials to close a unit inside the Parchman facility where many of the violence has occurred .
`` We are grateful that President Trump ’ s administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice reform and that they care enough about Mississippi to engage on this critical issue , '' Renae Eze , a spokeswoman for Reeves , said in a statement .
The Justice Department conducted a similar investigation into prisons in Alabama , which has some of the most notorious and overcrowded prisons in the country .
In a scathing report released in April , the Justice Department detailed widespread violence , sexual abuse and drug trafficking in Alabama 's men 's prisons .
Years of harsh sentencing laws have strained Alabama ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 21,000 prisoners as of last November .
That ’ s about 170 percent over capacity .
Federal investigators , who spent more than two years scrutinizing Alabama ’ s men ’ s prisons , found a “ broken system ” where people are murdered “ on a regular basis , ” according to the report .
Drugs and illegal weapons , many of which were smuggled by correctional officers , were rampant .
Cellblocks were so overcrowded and prisons were so understaffed that the few poorly trained officers on duty appeared powerless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , prison officials classified apparent murders as deaths caused by natural causes , the report said .
Guards turned a blind eye when inmates were raped , and sexual assault was accepted as “ a normal course of business.
” Alabama Gov .
Kay Ivey has since appointed a panel to address the constitutional violations detailed in the report .
In January , the panel made several recommendations , including more funding for correctional officers , mental health and education programs .
The panel recommended sentencing reforms , including legislation that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were sentenced to life imprisonment but were not convicted of harming anyone to be eligible for parole .
But the panel acknowledged those steps will not address the state ’ s deeply rooted prison crisis .
“ Let me reiterate that we will not be able to address all of our prison challenges in a single legislative session or a single budget year , ” retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Champ Lyons Jr. , the panel ’ s chair , wrote in a letter to Ivey last week .
“ The challenges we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Lyons wrote .
`` They are longstanding .
And they will require spending significant sums of taxpayer money.
” The Justice Department has launched at least six investigations into possible civil rights violations in prisons , jails and juvenile detention centers since President Donald Trump took office , according to reports the department is required to submit to Congress .
On Wednesday the Justice Department also announced the result of an investigation into conditions at a juvenile detention facility in South Carolina .
Juveniles at the Broad River Road Complex , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are isolated for 23 hours a day in small , dark cells , according to a report .
The Justice Department said officers have failed to protect juveniles from harm .
One incident involved four attacks on an inmate over three hours , with a group of children dragging a fellow detainee into a bedroom cubicle , twice chasing him down and assaulting him , and assaulting him in another bedroom cubicle .
An officer was nearby and did nothing .
Contributing : Kevin Johnson of USA TODAY , and Alissa Zhu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bologna of the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger

Justice Department investigating Mississippi prison conditions amid slew of deaths
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has opened an investigation into conditions in Mississippi prisons amid a statewide crisis that has resulted in deaths and riots in several facilities, officials announced Wednesday.
Pressure has been mounting for the Justice Department to investigate allegations of violence, abuse and deplorable conditions inside Mississippi’s prisons. Fifteen inmates have died since late December, many after stabbings and fights at the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi's oldest prison. Facilities have been plagued with gang-related killings and riots that forced state officials to impose lockdowns.
The civil rights investigation will focus on four prisons around the state: Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Southern Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility.
Officials will look at whether the Mississippi Department of Corrections protects prisoners from being harmed by other prisoners, and whether the facilities have adequate suicide prevention programs and mental health care, the Justice Department said in a news release. Officials will also review the use of solitary confinement at the Parchman facility.
In a statement, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said she will work with the Justice Department.
Mississippi prison crisis: 15th state inmate dies; cause under investigation
"I have been made aware of the conditions with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and my office immediately took a proactive position to meet and address these challenges. I visited Parchman personally and my staff and I have had conversations with the Department of Justice and others about next steps," Fitch said.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has ordered prison officials to close a unit inside the Parchman facility where many of the violence has occurred.
"We are grateful that President Trump’s administration has taken a focused interest in criminal justice reform and that they care enough about Mississippi to engage on this critical issue," Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Reeves, said in a statement.
The Justice Department conducted a similar investigation into prisons in Alabama, which has some of the most notorious and overcrowded prisons in the country.
In a scathing report released in April, the Justice Department detailed widespread violence, sexual abuse and drug trafficking in Alabama's men's prisons. Years of harsh sentencing laws have strained Alabama’s prisons, which housed a little more than 21,000 prisoners as of last November. That’s about 170 percent over capacity.
Federal investigators, who spent more than two years scrutinizing Alabama’s men’s prisons, found a “broken system” where people are murdered “on a regular basis,” according to the report. Drugs and illegal weapons, many of which were smuggled by correctional officers, were rampant. Cellblocks were so overcrowded and prisons were so understaffed that the few poorly trained officers on duty appeared powerless to establish any control.
Alabama prisons: DOJ report exposed to horrifying violence, rape; murders a 'regular' occurrence
In many cases, prison officials classified apparent murders as deaths caused by natural causes, the report said. Guards turned a blind eye when inmates were raped, and sexual assault was accepted as “a normal course of business.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has since appointed a panel to address the constitutional violations detailed in the report. In January, the panel made several recommendations, including more funding for correctional officers, mental health and education programs. The panel recommended sentencing reforms, including legislation that would release nonviolent offenders and allow prisoners who were sentenced to life imprisonment but were not convicted of harming anyone to be eligible for parole.
But the panel acknowledged those steps will not address the state’s deeply rooted prison crisis.
“Let me reiterate that we will not be able to address all of our prison challenges in a single legislative session or a single budget year,” retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Champ Lyons Jr., the panel’s chair, wrote in a letter to Ivey last week.
“The challenges we have inherited are multifaceted and complex," Lyons wrote. "They are longstanding. And they will require spending significant sums of taxpayer money.”
The Justice Department has launched at least six investigations into possible civil rights violations in prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers since President Donald Trump took office, according to reports the department is required to submit to Congress.
On Wednesday the Justice Department also announced the result of an investigation into conditions at a juvenile detention facility in South Carolina.
Juveniles at the Broad River Road Complex, a long-term facility in Columbia, S.C., are isolated for 23 hours a day in small, dark cells, according to a report.
The Justice Department said officers have failed to protect juveniles from harm. One incident involved four attacks on an inmate over three hours, with a group of children dragging a fellow detainee into a bedroom cubicle, twice chasing him down and assaulting him, and assaulting him in another bedroom cubicle. An officer was nearby and did nothing.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson of USA TODAY, and Alissa Zhu, Lici Beveridge, Luke Ramseth and Giacomo Bologna of the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger


usatoday--2020-02-06--Trump's State of the Union school choice scholarship will be paid by Betsy DeVos. One Philadelphia g

Trump's State of the Union school choice scholarship will be paid by Betsy DeVos. One Philadelphia girl will benefit.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will personally fund a school choice scholarship President Donald Trump offered to a Philadelphia girl during his State of the Union address Tuesday night , a surprise award he suggested would allow the girl to leave her low-performing public school and attend a different school .
A DeVos spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday the secretary would provide the money directly to Janiyah Davis , a fourth grade student , and her mother , Stephanie , who were invited to the speech Tuesday night in Washington .
During his address , Trump said Davis has been on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program .
The state gives businesses a tax break for donations that help pay for qualifying children to attend a different school , including private schools .
`` I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available , it ’ s going to you , and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice , '' Trump said to the girl .
But the scholarship did n't become available via normal channels .
DeVos will have to pay for the girl 's tuition directly in part because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donors can contribute to the opportunity scholarship fund .
And when USA TODAY contacted Pennsylvania 's Department of Education Wednesday , officials were n't even aware of what Trump had done during his address on Tuesday .
The school choice scholarship wait list in Pennsylvania is long .
Between the two educational tax credit programs in that state , there are about 40,000 to 50,000 more applicants than available scholarships , said Michael Torres , spokesman for the Commonwealth Foundation , a conservative think tank that supports school choice .
DeVos spokeswoman Liz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about how long DeVos planned to fund the girl 's educational expenses .
The secretary , whose husband is the former CEO of multilevel marketing company Amway , donates her entire federal salary each year to charity .
State of the Union fact check : Trump stretched facts about economy , jobs Trump 's action Tuesday only added to the controversy around school choice , an overarching term that applies to nontraditional schools that get public money , such as charter schools run by nonunionized teachers and private , religious schools that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Proponents , including DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence , believe students should be able to use taxpayer money to pursue whatever kind of education they desire , from religious schools to homeschooling .
DeVos and Pence were scheduled to appear Wednesday at an event in Pennsylvania , where lawmakers have been clashing over expanding money for school choice programs .
DeVos and Trump have advocated for a $ 5 billion federal school voucher program , which Trump also championed in his State of the Union address .
But the program is widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democrat-controlled House .
Some conservatives oppose it also .
Opponents of private-school choice , including teachers unions and most Democrats , believe the programs siphon off money and students from traditional districts , leaving fewer resources in public schools to serve the most challenged students .
Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation .
The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input .

Trump's State of the Union school choice scholarship would be paid by Betsy DeVos. One Philadelphia girl would benefit.
Show Caption Hide Caption State of the Union includes Pelosi ripping speech, soldier homecoming President Donald Trump's State of the Union had several unusual moments, including his refusal to shake House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand. USA TODAY
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will personally fund a school choice scholarship President Donald Trump offered to a Philadelphia girl during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, a surprise award he suggested would allow the girl to leave her low-performing public school and attend a different school.
A DeVos spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday the secretary would provide the money directly to Janiyah Davis, a fourth grade student, and her mother, Stephanie, who were invited to the speech Tuesday night in Washington.
But on Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Janiyah already attends one of the city’s most sought-after charter schools, and that her mother didn’t view it as a school a parent would want to leave.
According to the Inquirer, Janiyah attended a public kindergarten, then a private Christian school that charged tuition, then transferred to the popular charter school, which is a public school. Stephanie Davis said she wasn’t sure if her daughter would change schools again, the story said.
During his address, Trump said Davis has been on a waiting list for Pennsylvania's opportunity scholarship program, a program that gives businesses a tax break for donations that help pay for qualifying children to attend a different school, including private schools.
"I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it’s going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice," Trump said to the girl.
But the scholarship didn't become available via normal channels.
DeVos would have to pay for the girl's tuition directly if she wants to attend a private school again, in part because state law in Pennsylvania caps how much donors can contribute to the opportunity scholarship fund.
When USA TODAY contacted Pennsylvania's Department of Education Wednesday, officials weren't even aware of what Trump had done during his address on Tuesday.
The school choice scholarship wait list in Pennsylvania is long. Between the two educational tax credit programs in that state, there are about 40,000 to 50,000 more applicants than available scholarships, said Michael Torres, spokesman for the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank that supports school choice.
DeVos spokeswoman Liz Hill did not respond to follow-up questions about how long DeVos planned to fund the girl's educational expenses. The secretary, whose husband is the former CEO of multilevel marketing company Amway, donates her entire federal salary each year to charity.
State of the Union fact check:Trump stretched facts about economy, jobs
Trump's action Tuesday only added to the controversy around school choice, an overarching term that applies to nontraditional schools that get public money, such as charter schools run by nonunionized teachers and private, religious schools that may receive taxpayer money in some states.
Proponents, including DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence, believe students should be able to use taxpayer money to pursue whatever kind of education they desire, from religious schools to homeschooling.
DeVos and Trump have advocated for a $5 billion federal school voucher program, which Trump also championed in his State of the Union address. But the program is widely believed to be dead on arrival in a Democrat-controlled House. Some conservatives oppose it also.
Opponents of private-school choice, including teachers unions and most Democrats, believe the programs siphon off money and students from traditional districts, leaving fewer resources in public schools to serve the most challenged students.
Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.


usatoday--2020-02-06--OnPolitics: Spoiler alert, Trump was acquitted of all charges

It may be the shortest presidential impeachment trial in the history of the U.S. , but it feels like forever since we began covering every vote , quote , tweet and trial .
Today , President Donald Trump was acquitted of both impeachment charges , avoiding removal from office and ending the impeachment trial we 've been following closely as it moved from the House to the Senate .
Here 's what you need to know about the vote , last night 's State of the Union and the ongoing Iowa caucus saga : The Senate acquitted Trump for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of bitter partisan clashes over accusations he tried to cheat in the 2020 election by pressuring the U.S. ally to investigate political rival , former Vice President Joe Biden .
The Republican-led Senate voted to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
Sen. Mitt Romney , R-Utah , was the only senator to cross party lines by voting to convict for abuse of power .
Conviction was always unlikely in the GOP-led Senate , where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority because it required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate or 67 senators .
On voting to convict President Trump on the abuse of power charge , Romney said : `` This verdict is ours to render ...
The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the President committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a 'high crime and misdemeanor . '
Yes , he did . ''
• What we learned ( and still do n't know ) after the Trump impeachment saga • Interactive : How each member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial • Tougher than Teflon ?
Trump shows he is the most resilient politician in modern US history More than200 `` Reject the Cover-Up '' protests are planned around the nation in response to President Donald Trump 's expected impeachment acquittal .
Most were expected to begin at 5:30 p.m. EST in opposition to the Senate trial .
It was the SOTU of all SOTUs Reaction continued well into today on last night 's State of the Union address .
Republicans responded angrily after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Union address Tuesday night .
• Vice President Mike Pence called Pelosi 's rending of the speech `` a new low '' and said it was an effort to make the address `` about her . ''
( If you missed it , read and watch it here again . )
• On the impromptu Medal of Honor award , Rep. Ocasio-Cortez blasted giving the Medal of Freedom to 'virulent racist ' Rush Limbaugh , calling it 'truly nauseating' • File this one under commentary : Bill Goodykoontz writes , Trump turned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality show .
Rush Limbaugh was its star .
• Stepping back from reaction : Build the wall ?
Travel ban ?
Tax cuts ?
After Trump 's State of the Union , here 's where he stands on promises And , catching up on Iowa We now have 84.99 % of precincts reporting ( as of 4:30 pm ET ) , and we 're still largely in the same place .
So read that as we 're still waiting on an Iowa winner .
• A PSA , reminder to watch this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results .
We 'll update that page with the latest when they come out .
• Reality check : Despite Iowa caucus disaster , U.S. election systems are better than you think .
Really .

OnPolitics: Spoiler alert, Trump was acquitted of all charges
Show Caption Hide Caption Split Senate acquits Trump of impeachment charges The U.S. Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of both impeachment charges Wednesday, ending only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country and tested civic norms. (Feb. 5) AP
It may be the shortest presidential impeachment trial in the history of the U.S., but it feels like forever since we began covering every vote, quote, tweet and trial.
Today, President Donald Trump was acquitted of both impeachment charges, avoiding removal from office and ending the impeachment trial we've been following closely as it moved from the House to the Senate.
Here's what you need to know about the vote, last night's State of the Union and the ongoing Iowa caucus saga:
The impeachment vote (finally) happened
The Senate acquitted Trump for his dealings with Ukraine on Wednesday, culminating months of bitter partisan clashes over accusations he tried to cheat in the 2020 election by pressuring the U.S. ally to investigate political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. The Republican-led Senate voted to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only senator to cross party lines by voting to convict for abuse of power. Conviction was always unlikely in the GOP-led Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority because it required the support of at least two-thirds of the Senate or 67 senators.
On voting to convict President Trump on the abuse of power charge, Romney said: "This verdict is ours to render ... The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the President committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a 'high crime and misdemeanor.' Yes, he did."
Dig deeper:
More than 200 "Reject the Cover-Up" protests are planned around the nation in response to President Donald Trump's expected impeachment acquittal. Most were expected to begin at 5:30 p.m. EST in opposition to the Senate trial.
It was the SOTU of all SOTUs
Reaction continued well into today on last night's State of the Union address. Republicans responded angrily after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night.
And, catching up on Iowa
We now have 84.99% of precincts reporting (as of 4:30 pm ET), and we're still largely in the same place. So read that as we're still waiting on an Iowa winner.