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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The thought of a Bernie Sanders presidency is inspiring fear in centrist Democrats and fellow candidates alike -- a New York Times story laments his online army of fans and his rivals for the Democratic nomination step up their fundraising rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Trump’s impeachment defense team sticks to its original argument, ignoring the fact that John Bolton may have evidence that blows their whole silly farce out of the water. We’ll see how that pays off!

And lastly, the Supreme Court rules 5-4 to allow the Trump administration to expand the “public charge” rule, making it far easier to prevent poor immigrants from being able to live in the country legally.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Does the name Bernie Sanders strike fear in your heart? If not, you probably wouldn’t be at home with the establishment Democrats.

Bernie’s dramatic rise in the polls this weekend has inspired a whole round of pot-stirring by pretty much everyone who doesn’t want to see him win.

Monday saw a strange New York Times’ article decrying the methods and manners of Bernie’s legion of online fans.

Sure, being on Twitter can be obnoxious for everyone involved, but Bernie certainly isn’t the only candidate with plenty of idiots who love to yell abuse at people in his name.

The Times also reports that traditional Iowa Democrats are starting to wonder quote “what are we going to do if Bernie wins?” endquote. The easy answer is support him, but that might be too simple.

And some candidates, at least, are trying to use the Bernie Bogeyman for personal gain. In a fundraising email on Monday, Pete Buttigieg’s campaign warned that Bernie could become the nominee, something they called “risky.”

So far, the attacks seem pretty weak, but Bernie’s team is gearing up for anything. Campaign surrogate Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez said that in the last few days before the Caucuses, quote “things are going to get crazy.”

The Trump Administration’s crack trial defense team is staying on its extremely dumb course, despite new revelations that could sink its argument in a fair trial.

Following John Bolton’s allegations that Trump directly mentioned holding aid to Ukraine in exchange for a Biden investigation, Trump’s lawyers continued to insist that there was no evidence that the president linked aid to investigations. One of these things, then, is clearly not true!

This strategy essentially rests on Bolton never seeing the inside of a Senate testimony room. If Democrats are unable to call witnesses and subpoena evidence in the trial, Trump’s legal team team of mall food court regulars can continue to insist that the president did nothing wrong.

It’s up to Mitch McConnell to hold the line for the Republicans. But cracks are beginning to show in the GOP’s defense.

Senator Mitt Romney, far from a fan of the president, told reporters on Monday that he thinks it’s quote “increasingly likely” endquote that other Republicans flip on McConnell and vote to subpoena Bolton to get his side of the story. A witness on the stand, wow! It sounds almost like an actual trial!

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday to allow the Trump administration to enforce one of its most ambitious, and most despicable, immigration policies yet.

The court’s decision allows the Trump administration to drastically expand the definition of a quote “public charge,” which is someone the government deems to be a quote “burden on society,” and use that to justify denying them visas or green card applications.

It’s very clear who this change will target: poor immigrants, many of whom are black or brown. Under the new changes, the “public charge” label can be applied to anyone who receives assistance like food stamps or government housing, even if they’re employed.

This creates what many progressive activists are calling a “wealth test” for admission into the country, effectively allowing the Trump administration to screen out poor immigrants. Other activists warn that the changes will heavily impact women, children, and the elderly, making a draconian immigration system just a little bit more hellish.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Florida sheriffs on Monday arrested Wolfgang Halbig, a notorious conspiracist and former contributor to Infowars for unlawful possession of personal identification. Halbig was infamous for tormenting the parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims, insisting that their tragedy was a hoax.

A group of protestors from the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action marched into Joe Biden’s statewide headquarters in Des Moines on Monday evening to protest the candidate’s ties to the healthcare insurance industry and his opposition to Medicare for All. Biden staffers were not amused, if the videos surfacing online are any indication.

After a dozen deaths in Mississippi’s state prison system in the past few weeks, activists are calling for a state of emergency to address what they say are inhumane conditions in the state’s penitentiaries.

And finally, the State Department is booting NPR’s diplomatic correspondent off Mike Pompeo’s government airplane for an upcoming press trip to Ukraine and other nations, likely as part of the spat that kicked off when Pomeo melted down under sharp questioning from NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly. Clearly, Pompeo has decided to take the high road -- in his jet, without NPR on board.

#AMQuickie: Monday, January 28th, 2020

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn