7. The lawyer for the Covington Catholic School kid at the middle of the scandal at the Lincoln Memorial is suing a lot of people
— The lawyers representing Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann is threatening to sue multiple people. The first step is demanding retractions and apologies for their comments. The lawyers have served everyone from presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), actress Alyssa Milano, journalists like Maggie Haberman, multiple Catholic entities, various national media outlets and many more.
6. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter suggests a primary challenge to President Donald Trump and name-drops Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks
— Coulter has been expressing her frustration with President Trump for some time, but her comments on Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery are the first time she names a potential challenger for the president. Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-5) was mentioned by name and called “terrific” as she attempts to pressure the president on border security. Last week, President Trump wondered if Coulter was upset with him because he “didn’t return her phone call or something.”
5. As the Democratic Party lurches left, moderate Democrats are rethinking jumping into the 2020 race
— Medicare for All, 70 percent tax rates, post-birth abortions, a Green New Deal and attacks on former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz are scaring potential 2020 nominees from the center-left of the Democratic Party. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to be a strong general election candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are worried about the base’s desire for big government liberalism affecting their ability to win a primary.
4. Alabama Democratic state representative wants alternative plans for infrastructure funding that doesn’t rely on a gas tax
— State Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) appeared on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” and said that there needs to be other funding plans for roads and bridges. Most of the talk in Alabama has centered around a massively increased gas tax, but Singleton wants the state to consider the lottery as a funding source.
3. A leading Republican Alabama state senator is suggesting the state consider expanding Medicaid
— The Alabama Hospital Association has a new ally in their push for a Medicaid expansion in the state to fund. Waggoner told Birmingham’s ABC 33/40, “We’ve got to find a way to keep these rural hospitals open and Medicaid is probably the answer to it.” Republicans in Alabama have spoken out against expanding Medicaid in Alabama for years. A reversal on this would be quite a move for the ALGOP.
2. The governor of Virginia will not resign, despite multiple Democrats calling for him to do so
— Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) claims he was neither the Klan member nor the person in blackface in the photo that appeared on his 1984 Medical school yearbook page. He would oddly add that he did once do a version of blackface to appear darker as Michael Jackson to win a dance contest. He was then if he could still moonwalk. High-profile Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Northam’s home-state senators have called for him to resign, which he may do this week.
1. A preview of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union indicates there are a lot of surprises coming on Tuesday, but an emergency declaration may be coming
— As part of CBS’ Super Bowl coverage, President Trump sat down with Margaret Brennan and told her that he wasn’t going to tell her much about his upcoming speech. Trump said he would tell the nation about his next meeting with North Korea “early next week.” When asked about declaring a national emergency for border funding, the president told the reporter, “But you’ll hear the State of the Union and then you’ll see what happens right after the State of the Union, OK.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned against it.
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