Bill Maher had a very bad week… Because Bill Maher is watching all of the best laid schemes by his Democrat plotters fail.  Against the failed impeachment effort; which followed the failed Mueller effort; which followed the failed FBI effort; Bill Maher invites Steve Bannon back onto his HBO show to debate the state of anti-Trump politics.
Bannon draws attention to several hypocrisies including the DNC use of Michael Bloomberg to fund and advance their anti-Trump effort.  The Democrats are a hot mess and a hostile takeover by Bernie Sanders looms on the horizon.

During the post-debate discussion on MSNBC Chris Matthews starts to worry about the brand of ‘socialism’ now overtaking the Democrat party.   The sound quality is not great, but the perspective of Matthews explains the apoplexy within the DNC.  WATCH:

Tonight, in the aftermath of chaos in the Iowa caucuses and the party apparatus in a state of apoplexy, ABC will be broadcasting the Democrat primary debate from Manchester, New Hampshire, the next state to vote.  [ABC Livestream Below]
Tonight’s lineup will feature Sleepy Joe Biden, Goofy Pete Buttigieg, Dopey Amy Klobuchar, Crazy Bernie Sanders, Grumpy Tom Steyer, Fibber Elizabeth Warren and Flopy Andrew Yang. [Bloomberg did not qualify because of the donor requirement, and Tulsi Gabbard along with Michael Bennet failed to qualify]
UPDATE: To give an idea of how the debate rolled out, listen to this word-salad.

(Link To Tweet)

[NYT] […] “I was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,” Mr. Sondland said in a statement just hours after Colonel Vindman’s dismissal. He expressed gratitude to Mr. Trump “for having given me the opportunity to serve.” (link)
The focus on a new EU trade deal based on reciprocity just got a little more intense…
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Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, the twin brothers who work at the NSC & who participated in an attempted coup to remove President Trump, were both escorted from the White House and removed from their position “with no explanation” on Friday.   No word yet on whether the White House kept their coats.
Hey, President Trump was previously accused of breaking up families at the border; well, this time he kept them together.  Out!… Now let’s get rid of ICIG Michael Atkinson

Politico – Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a central witness in the impeachment charges against President Donald Trump, was removed from his job and escorted out of the White House on Friday, according to his lawyer, raising concerns that the president has kicked off a long-foreshadowed campaign of retribution.

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National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow appears on Fox Business to discuss the excellent January jobs report.  Job gains and wage increases are all going in the right direction…. And Stuart Varney immediately asks: “do we need more immigration”?

Devin Nunes discusses attending yesterdays White House remarks by President Trump at the conclusion of the impeachment effort.  Representative Nunes notes the DC media are “assassins” united in an effort to target their political opposition.

According to Jennifer Jacobs at Bloomberg News the Vindman weasel may soon be removed from the National Security Council.  Hopefully a full damage assessment has been conducted in the wake of the national security damage Vindman has created.

As would be expected from modern media the Bloomberg article is written to emphasize their ideological position that President Donald Trump, the head of the Executive Branch, should not be allowed to select the people who provide him advice and counsel:

Bloomberg – The White House is weighing a plan to dismiss Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council after he testified in President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, preparing to position the move as part of a broader effort to shrink the foreign policy bureaucracy, two people familiar with the matter said.

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Against the backdrop of massively consequential events, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had an important interview today with Maria Bartiromo.
The interview covers multiple topics to include: China dropping tariffs; the overall status of the U.S. economy; potential economic impacts from the Coronavirus; an important legislative infrastructure program, and much more…  However, there’s a statement within the interview that subtle but highly important.  [Listen Carefully at 04:46]
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Long-term CTH readers may remember a key point, since we initially outlined the consequences of President Trump’s policy objectives in 2016, that everyone should carefully consider the scale of President Trump’s opposition.
We encapsulated by saying: “there are trillions at stake“.
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These moves highlight how President Donald Trump, and the priorities he has put forth into the GOP, are now leading the Republican party.   The President is correct: “the republican party has never been more united.”  Most of the GOPe ranks in the House have been removed and the strategic conservative/nationalist movement is now in place.
HJC Ranking Member Doug Collins is running for a Georgia Senate Seat; within the republican House rules he must leave his ranking position on the committee. Today the House steering committee overwhelmingly picked Representative Jim Jordan to take over as the top ranking member on the Judiciary Committee to replace Doug Collins.

Mark Meadows will take over republican leadership of the House Oversight Committee for the remainder of the year replacing Jim Jordan. This is a smart move as Jordan will be in position to counter the efforts of Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.
Additionally, and in anticipation of the Republicans retaking the House in November, this move is a unifying effort by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to ascend the MAGA coalition into more influence. Kevin McCarthy wants to be Speaker if Republicans can retake the House.
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