6am – A/B/C OMAR, TLAIB BARRED FROM ISRAEL
Israel's decision to bar Reps. Tlaib, Omar draws bipartisan criticism in Congress. (Fox News) -- Tops Democrats and a few Republicans have denounced Israel's decision to block Reps Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., from entering the country for a planned visit. Israel's decision came with encouragement from President Trump, who had tweeted that it would "show great weakness" to allow them in. Omar accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of implementing his own “Muslim ban." Ihan and Tlaib, both Muslim and outspoken critics of Israel, have expressed support for boycotts of the country. In a tweet, Tlaib ripped the decision as "a sign of weakness." Similarly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said denying the two congresswomen entry into the country was a sign of weakness, not strength and "unbecoming of the great State of Israel." Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that, “I disagree 100% with Reps. Tlaib & Omar on #Israel" but that denying them entry into the country was a "mistake." Netanyahu said Israel stands by its decision, arguing that Tlaib and Omar have an ulterior, anti-Israel agenda. He said Israel welcomes critics with the exception of those who support boycotts of the Jewish State. However, early Friday, the Washington Post reported that Israel would allow Democratic Rep. Tlaib to enter without Omar to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in West Bank.
Ryan Saavedra @RealSaavedra 14h14 hours ago: Notice how Ocasio-Cortez says *nothing* about these 16 Muslim countries that ban Israelis from entering their countries: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Joe Biden @JoeBiden I have always been a stalwart supporter of Israel—a vital partner that shares our democratic values. No democracy should deny entry to visitors based on the content of their ideas—even ideas they strongly object to. And no leader of the free world should encourage them to do so.
Netanyahu says congresswomen's itinerary, which included no meetings with Israeli officials, showed they only intended to incite against Israel
Dermer to American Jewish leaders: decision to bar Omar and Tlaib was not a result of Trump pressure. Claims Israel changed course on issue after looking st their itinerary, which was a “BDS circus”
Itinerary: According to their own itinerary, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib chose to refer to Israel as “Palestine”. Their trip there was little more than a self-indulgent ploy to delegitimize and malign the Jewish State from within its borders.
6am – D/E/F 2020 NEWS:
2020 Democrats Whine About Biased Coverage from the Media. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading the way, making his grievances with “corporate media” central to his anti-establishment campaign. The Sanders campaign took it up a notch this week, calling out CNN and NBC by name and making the case that The Washington Post is covering him negatively because he’s been critical of the newspaper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. Top media personalities are firing back at Sanders and accusing him of taking a page from Trump, who routinely attacks major outlets such as The New York Times and CNN as "fake news." But Sanders is not alone. According to The Hill, "A top surrogate for former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign lashed out at reporters this week for giving outsized coverage to the former vice president’s recent verbal gaffes." Meanwhile, Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro have both "blasted the press for what they describe as applying too light of a touch with Trump on issues pertaining to race."
Sanders campaign continues attacks on journalists: 'Their paychecks are signed by a billionaire'. (Washington Examiner) - Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign made the latest addition to their enemies list quite explicit on Thursday: journalists employed by "corporations" and "billionaires." In the first edition of "Bern Notice," a digital newsletter released by the Sanders campaign designed to circumvent traditional media outlets, campaign speechwriter David Sirota wrote a fiery screed against so-called corporate media and its conspiracy to sink the Vermont senator's second presidential bid. Reporters don’t have to receive a call from Jeff Bezos to know that their paychecks are signed by a billionaire with a well-known personal and corporate agenda — and knowing that agenda exists can shape overall frameworks and angles of coverage," the left-wing reporter-turned-politico wrote.
Beto O’Rourke on TX Senate Run: ‘That Would Not Be Good Enough’ (Breitbart) -- Thursday in El Paso, TX, 2020 presidential hopeful former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) shut down speculation that he would run for the U.S. Senate in Texas if his presidential run is not successful. O’Rourke said, “There have even been some who have suggested that I stay in Texas and run for Senate, but that would not be good enough. That would not be good enough for this community, that would not be good enough for El Paso, that would not be good enough for this country.”
Biden allies float scaling back events to limit gaffes. (The Hill) -- Allies to Joe Biden have been floating the idea of altering the former vice president's schedule in
Andrew Yang: 'What could Donald Trump possibly be better than me at? An eating contest?' Democratic presidential candidate and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang said during his recent visit to Iowa that he’d challenge President Trump “to any physical or mental feat under the sun,” adding: “I mean, gosh, what could that guy beat me at, being a slob?"
Police Union Rips Warren Over Ferguson Tweet: ‘Unacceptable And Dangerous.’ 'Your labeling of law enforcement as racist and violent is unacceptable and dangerous'
NEWSMAX: HERE'S THE NET WORTH OF EVERY 2020 CANDIDATE: Aside from Trump's $3.1 billion and Tom Steyer's $1.6 billion, the median net worth is $2 million. At the bottom of the list is Pete Buttigieg, who has an estimated $100,000. So how do the other candidates fare? Here is the list from least to most wealthy:
20. Pete Buttigieg Net worth: $100,000
19. Tim Ryan Net worth: $500,000
18. Tulsi Gabbard Net worth: $500,000
17. Julian Castro Net worth: $700,000
16. Andrew Yang Net worth: $1 million
15. Kirsten Gillibrand Net worth: $1 million
17. Marianne Williamson Net worth: $1.5 million
14. Cory Booker Net worth: $1.5 million
13. Amy Klobuchar Net worth: $2 million
12. Jay Inslee Net worth: $2 million
11. Bernie Sanders Net worth: $2.5 million
10. Bill de Blasio Net worth: $2.5 million
9. Beto O'Rourke Net worth: $4 million
8. Joe Sestak Net worth: $6 million
7. Kamala Harris Net worth: $6 million
6. Joe Biden Net worth: $9 million
5. Elizabeth Warren Net worth: $12 million
4. Michael Bennet Net worth: $15 million
3. John Delaney Net worth: $200 million
2. Tom Steyer Net worth: $1.6 billion
Donald Trump Net worth: $3.1 billion