Earlier today the notoriously political and corrupt former FBI Director, James Comey, provided his endorsement for Joe Biden in the Democrat primary.

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Yesterday the notoriously political and corrupt former CIA Director, John Brennan, also gave his full-throated endorsement for Joe Biden….
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As part of the overall administration effort to contain and respond to the Coronavirus issue President Trump is traveling to Maryland today to participate in a roundtable and tour of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Anticipated start time 2:30pm ET.
UPDATE: Video and Transcript Added

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[Transcript] – DR. FAUCI: Mr. President, thank you very much for coming to the NIH today.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
DR. FAUCI: We really are very pleased —
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Tony.
DR. FAUCI: — with your visit. And I want just, again, thank you for your support of everything that we’ve been doing in this obviously very important problem.
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Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks to the 2020 Legislative Conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo), an organization representing 3,069 counties, nearly 40,000 elected county officials, and 3.6 million county employees who together serve more than 80% of the U.S. population.
At the beginning of his remarks President Trump announced he would be traveling on Friday to Tennessee to visit the area hit by last nights devastating tornado. The President noted “we are sending our love and our prayers to the 19 people killed by the deadly tornado in Tennessee” and promised “my administration will always be your partner, friend, and resource.”

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. What a nice group. And thank you, Mary Ann. I think you like Mary Ann a lot. I was listening. I said, “Who is out there that they like so much?” It was Mary Ann. (Laughter.)
Please sit down. Please.
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Earlier this morning the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced a .50 drop in their lending rate in response to the potential for economic impacts from the coronavirus.  Following the rate cut Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a statement and held a press conference.  [Video Below]

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Ohio congressman Jim Jordan appears on Fox News to discuss the current status of FISA reauthorization and the reason why reforms to the process are needed.   Additionally, Jordan outlines why there is partisan resistance to the nomination of John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

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Representatives requesting FISA reform prior to renewal include: Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Doug Collins, Jody Rice, Devin Nunes and Steve Scalise. Additionally, Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and Senator Rand Paul are trying to force reform or let the current version expire. AG Bill Barr is requesting a clean FISA renewal with no reforms or revisions. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham support the AG request.
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Today is Super Tuesday where 14 states and two territories vote in the presidential primary (listed below). There are a total of 1,320 delegates up for grabs representing 34 percent of all available delegates. Approximately 40 percent of all American voters will be voting today. At the end of today we will likely have an even better idea of whether the DNC will end up with a brokered convention.
Bernie Sanders is hoping for at least 50 percent of the total available delegates with a heavy focus on Texas, California, Massachusetts and Minnesota.  Club Favorite Joe Biden is hoping for a strong showing in southern states, and second-place proportional delegates in Texas and California.  Biden and Bloomberg are hoping to block Bernie. Mini-mike has staked his reputation and spent $500 million to win delegates today from anywhere.
However, Elizabeth Warren is hoping to become a very important king-maker by gathering just enough of the delegates Bernie needs & then entering talks with both sides.
Below you will find a list of states voting today along with the number of delegates for each state and territory. If you are voting today feel free to share your ground report. What’s the turnout like in your local precinct?

♦Alabama: Open primary, with 52 pledged delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
♦American Samoa: Open caucus, with the territory awarding six delegates on the basis of the results of the caucuses.
♦Arkansas: Open primary, with 31 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
♦California: Semi-closed primary -only Democrats and unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot- with the 415 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Stephanie Grisham Twitter @StephGrisham45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

The Senate is scheduled to go back into recess March 13, 2020.  Additionally, the DOJ/FBI response to the FISA court order (due February 5th) has still not been made public.  If congress is going to reauthorize the controversial FISA provisions, they have ten days.
In November of 2019 buried deep in the congressional budget Continuing Resolution (CR) was a short-term extension to reauthorize the FISA “business records provision”, the “roving wiretap” provision, the “lone wolf” provision, and the more controversial bulk metadata provisions [Call Detail Records (CDR)], all parts of the Patriot Act.  As a result of the FISA CR inclusion the terminal deadline was pushed to March 15, 2020.

AG Bill Barr is requesting a clean FISA renewal with no reforms or revisions. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham support the AG request.
Representatives requesting FISA reform prior to renewal include: Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Doug Collins, Jody Rice, Devin Nunes and Steve Scalise. Additionally, Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and Senator Rand Paul are trying to force reform or let the current version expire. The American people want it scrapped, or, at a minimum strongly revised.
Congress is trying to hide the FISA renewal within the Coronavirus appropriations bill.

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At the beginning of his broadcast show tonight Chris Matthews announced he is retiring from NBC effective immediately. Tonight was the final broadcast of Hardball With Chris Matthews…

(AP) Veteran MSNBC host Chris Matthews said he’s retiring from his show “Hardball,” citing his inappropriate comments about women.
Matthews opened his program with the announcement he was ending his run on the political hour that he started in 1997.
He said compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, himself included, thought were OK “were never OK.”
He remained proud of the work he ’s done on the show, he said.
In a first-person story for GQ published Feb. 28, freelance journalist Laura Bassett said Matthews behaved inappropriately toward her when she was guest on his show.

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