Sanders Wins New Hampshire – Socialist Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, with South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg coming in second, and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar coming in a strong third. Klobuchar’s third-place finish came after she did well in a debate held on the Friday night prior to the primary, giving her campaign a boost and elevating her candidacy on the national level.
Senate Passes Resolution Limiting Iran War Powers – The Senate passed a resolution this week that would limit President Trump’s power to take action against Iran without Congressional approval. The resolution, which Trump has said sends the wrong messages to Iran, is likely to be vetoed when it reaches the president’s desk.
Barr Slams Trump – Attorney General William P. Barr criticized President Trump for involving himself in the ongoing Roger Stone saga. Stone, a Trump associate, was convicted on several charges, including lying to Congress and obstruction of justice, and was recommended to serve 7-9 years by the Justice Department. But after President Trump called the recommendation “a miscarriage of justice,” the Justice Department revised the recommendation to 3-4 years, prompting the prosecutors on the case to resign and President Trump to thank Barr. In an ABC interview, Barr said that Trump inserting himself into the matter was inappropriate and said that he cannot do his job as Attorney General with the “background noise” of Trump’s tweeting habits.
Three Candidates Drop Out – Three Democratic candidates – Andrew Yang, Michael Bennett, and Deval Patrick – dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for president, after they suffered disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary showing their campaigns to be ineffective and their hopes of winning the nomination slim.
Trump, Bloomberg Fight – President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg exchanged blows this week, with Trump making fun of Bloomberg’s height and Bloomberg essentially calling the president an idiot. The Trump-Bloomberg spat is likely giving Bloomberg more time on TV and free exposure to voters.
DOJ Sues New Jersey – The Department of Justice sued New Jersey and the city of Seattle over their policies forbidding law enforcement to share certain information about suspected criminal aliens with ICE officials. The lawsuit claims that the policies are putting law enforcement “in harm’s way.”