Thursday, November 21
2020 Watch: Mike Bloomberg Spending $15-20 Million to Register 500,000 U.S. Voters (Associated Press)
The new effort will target registering a half million voters from traditionally underrepresented groups that typically lean Democratic, including African Americans, Latinos, Asians, young voters and those living in some rural communities.
The drive will begin early next year in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin, but could expand to more states.
The move marks another significant show of financial force demonstrating Bloomberg’s ability to run what senior adviser Howard Wolfson described as parallel campaigns over the coming year.
“If Mike runs, we’re going to try to do what we can to run two campaigns simultaneously,” Wolfson said.
“One campaign is a primary campaign — and there are a lot of great people in that contest and a lot of focus and activity around that. But at the same time, there’s another campaign going on that the president has begun that ends in November that also needs to be engaged. And one of the arguments that we would make on behalf of Mike to primary voters is (that) he is able to wage these two campaigns simultaneously — effectively and simultaneously.”
Michael Bloomberg Files Paperwork to Get on the Texas Primary Ballot (Texas Tribune)
Debate Recap: Democrats Focus on Beating Trump Rather Than Beating Up on Each Other (Washington Post)
Graphic: Issues that Dominated at the Atlanta Democratic Debate (Bloomberg)
Foreign policy, saving democracy, social issues and President Trump were the most-discussed issues, while guns, health care and criminal justice were among least-discussed issues.
Impeachment Watch.
Witness: Fiona Hill Warns Republicans on Fictional Narrative Pushed by Russian Security Services (Washington Post)
The former White House adviser on Russia opened her testimony before the impeachment inquiry Thursday with withering criticism of Republican attempts to sow doubt that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Global Headlines.
UK Election: Labour Election Manifesto Proposes Taxing Rich to Fund Public Spending Spree (Bloomberg)
Not Again: Israel Nears Unprecedented Third Vote as Benny Gantz Coalition Bid Fails (Bloomberg)
New Economy Forum: Henry Paulson Hopeful of US-China Trade Deal (South China Morning Post)
The former Treasury Secretary said the U.S. and China will eventually settle their differences over tariffs, maybe even reach a deal that allows both sides to say they won, as Andrew Ross Sorkin writes in today’s New York Times.
China’s Vice President Wang Qishan Calls for Abandonment of Cold War Mentality (Global Times)
Charlene Barshefsky: Protectionist Tariffs Hamper U.S. Growth, Former U.S. Trade Rep Says (Xinhua)
Colombia Braces for Largest Protests in Years in Nationwide Strike Aimed at Unpopular President (Bloomberg)
Today in Climate.
Climate Risk: Saudi Aramco Has a New Climate Change Challenge: Too Much Water (Fortune)
First in Massachusetts: Brookline Passes Bylaw Banning Future Use of Oil, Gas in New Buildings (WCVB)
Florida Today.
Arts and Film.
Summer 2020 Preview: Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest To Highlight Climate Change in New York’s Madison Square Park (The Architect’s Paper)
Frozen Has Taken Over: The Kids Who Love ‘Frozen’ and the Parents Who Love Them (New York Times)
Whether playing ‘Let it Go’ 91 times or blocking their ears, families interviewed by the New York Times agree it has taken over their worlds.
Best of late night.
On the U.S. House impeachment hearings in Washington:
“President Trump actually watched the rest of the hearings while flying on Air Force One. I’m not saying Trump was worried, but at one point during the flight he opened the door to get some air.”
— Jimmy Fallon
On impeachment testimony from U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland:
“All day long, people were calling Sondland’s testimony ‘explosive.’ I haven’t heard the word ‘explosive’ so much since Chipotle starting selling queso.”
— Jimmy Fallon
“It’s true that the ratings are way down on the impeachment hearings since last week. I don’t know what that means. But I know that in our country, when a show’s ratings drop, that’s actually worse than the government falling apart.”
— Conan O’Brien