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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Michael Bloomberg spent millions of dollars to have the Democratic candidates for president mock him on live television. But maybe there’s a strategy there.

Meanwhile, the Trump family promotes an insane conspiracy theory that says the president will put top Democrats in prison. So, a typical weekday, in that respect.

And lastly, a mass shooting and neo-Nazi terrorism puts Germany on edge. Which, naturally, puts everyone else a little on edge, too.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Democrats running for president had another debate last night in Last Vegas. It did not go well for the late entrant, Michael Bloomberg.

Before the debate, the Wall Street Journal reported that his campaign was paying $2,500 a month to people willing to spam their contacts with praise for Bloomberg. His campaign manager warned that if more candidates don’t drop out, Bernie Sanders would be QUOTE unstoppable ENDQUOTE. The suggestion was not taken kindly. If there was one thing the other candidates agreed on, it was that the billionaire former Republican Mayor of New York City was not welcome onstage -- and could not beat Donald Trump.

Warren slammed his workplace abuse of women. Bloomberg quickly got flustered. He would not say how many women he had asked to sign non-disclosure agreements over workplace harrassment. But, he said, those who took his money in exchange for their silence did so QUOTE consensually ENDQUOTE. Warren and others pointed out that he could easily give permission for all those women – however many there are – to speak. He declined.

Taking aim at the front-runner, Bloomberg suggested Sanders was a communist. Sanders called that a cheap shot and, quoting Martin Luther King, said America already has socialism – but only for the rich. Sanders later asked Bloomberg in which tax haven he keeps his home. Joe Biden was a ghostlike presence during the debate, pleading for attention, and keeping his mouth shut at Bloomberg’s command. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar struggled for relevancy, and argued mostly with each other. After Buttigieg repeated how she could not name the president of Mexico despite serving on foreign trade committees, Klobuchar asked QUOTE Are you trying to say I'm dumb? Or are you mocking me? ENDQUOTE.

As attention focused on Bloomberg and Sanders, those two candidates made the case for why each is the one to beat Trump. Sanders’ pitch was that billionaires like Bloomberg and Trump are too powerful, that workers need a hand in government and in companies, that healthcare is a human right, and that we must end war to save the planet from climate change. Bloomberg’s pitch was that he is an effective manager who will give away his money, and that some women he harrassed QUOTE didn’t like a joke I made ENDQUOTE. Does that mean we can file a class action over this joke of a campaign?

President Trump had another surprise for the US intelligence community. Their new overseer is a total Trump lackey with no relevant experience, even by the standards of an administration. The White House announced Richard Grenell as the new Director of National Intelligence. Who is Rick Grenell? Exactly!

Press reports cast him as another loud-mouthed Trump loyalist. Perhaps his principal qualification is that he is one of only nine people in the world with gold member status in the so-called Trump Card loyalty program. That’s not a joke, that’s from the Washington Post. Because Grenell previously obtained Senate confirmation when Trump appointed him to be Ambassador to Germany, his appointment as D.N.I. dodged Congressional scrutiny.

Before his rally yesterday in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump shared a video on Twitter that featured a supporter wearing a Q-Anon shirt. The Q-Anon guy was shown helping a purported World War Two veteran find his seat at the rally. Warming up the crowd, Don Junior also drew attention to the video.

Bless you if you don’t know Q-Anon. It is an elaborate whackjob online conspiracy theory. Adherents believe a mysterious government insider is feeding them cryptic information about future events. Q is Nostradamus for racist morons, but extra scary and weird. Q says Trump will put a bunch of top Democrats in prison. And this theory has the Trump seal of approval. In another sign of the bottomless derrangement of the Republican Party, former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka had another Fox News personality on his radio show, who laid out the stakes for Republicans as follows: QUOTE It’s Trump, or the end of the world. ENDQUOTE. Correction: If it’s Trump, then it’s the end of the world.

All is not well in Germany. At least eight people were killed yesterday in shootings at shisha bars in Hanau, a small city near Frankfurt. Police had taken at least one suspect in custody. No motive was given. Terrorism experts suggested organized crime was a possibility. However, the country also been grappling with a surge of neo-Nazi activity. An investigation published yesterday revealed disturbing new details in a recent political assassination in Germany. The new report revealed that the killer of a center-right politician, Walter Lubcke, had a long history in the neo-Nazi underground. The killer was dormant for many years until being reactivated by a new nationalist party known as A.F.D. Lubcke, the politician murdered by the A.F.D. supporter, welcomed refugees to Europe. That made him a target.

Last week, German federal police arrested tweleve armed neo-Nazis for planning attacks modeled on the mosque massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand. At least one person arrested was a police officer. The group’s plan was reportedly to kick off a civil war.

In separate but related news, A.F.D. was criticized for giving away copies of a racist coloring book at a public event. The book depicted black people with bones in their hair harrassing white women at a swimming pool, as well as Muslim men waving assault rifles and other obscene stereotypes. A.F.D. said giving away the book to children was QUOTE an organizational mistake ENDQUOTE. Not the first mistake of its kind by German fascists.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

A lawyer for Julian Assange told a British court today that Donald Trump had offered the Wikileaks journalist a presidential pardon – on one condition. Trump wanted Assange to say that Russia had not hacked the Democrats before the 2016 election. The offer allegedly came through former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. Assange is fighting extradition to the US. Meanwhile, psychologists told a judge that the continued imprisonment of military whistleblower Chelsea Manning was QUOTE pointless ENDQUOTE.

Online therapy apps are leaking personal mental health data to Facebook and other sketchy companies. An investigation by Jezebel found that many popular apps are selling out their users more than they know. Advertisers may be using the data, for example, to target teenagers who are feeling insecure, worthless, overwhelmed, or anxious. If only we had an app to explain why this is still legal.

The famously sweaty Mark Zuckerberg allegedl blow-dies his armpits for half an hour before appearing in public. The revelation comes in a new book by a veteran tech reporter. A

Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider that if the allegation is true, it was her department’s idea, and that many people seem to sweat through grey cotton shirts. She did not explain why the billionaire could not buy another shirt. Zuck has reason to sweat. Last week, George Soros said he should resign from Facebook. The financier and Democratic donor said Zuckerberg was conspiring with Donald Trump to secure his reelection. Eff that.

That’s all for the AM Quickie. Join us this afternoon on the Majority Report as we break down last night’s debate -- and Bloomberg’s humiliation -- in great detail.

#AMQuickie: Feb 20, 2020

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn