There are only three viable presidential candidates, according to Mike Bloomberg's campaign

Only three candidates out of the more than half dozen vying for the White House have a viable path to the nomination, a senior official for the Mike Bloomberg campaign told reporters Tuesday. Bloomberg states director Dan Kanninen said that “we are really down to a race where there are three people left who could really be considered viable to be sworn into office next year, and that's Bernie Sanders, Mike Bloomberg and Donald Trump,” he said in a conference call with reporters. The blunt statement provides a window into how the campaign views the other established frontrunners, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

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  Jane Sanders reacts to Mike Bloomberg's 'Bernie Bro' attacks

  The Independent
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  Bloomberg qualifies for Las Vegas debate as Sanders rises in polls

  Fox Business

Abbott says top Malaysian leaders suspected pilot of MH370

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the “top levels” of the Malaysian government long suspected that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 almost six years ago was a mass murder-suicide by the pilot. Australia, working on Malaysia's behalf, coordinated what became the largest search in aviation history, but it failed to find the plane before being ended in 2017. Speaking in a Sky News documentary to air on Wednesday and Thursday, Abbott said high-ranking Malaysian officials believed veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the jet.

George Zimmerman is suing Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg over Trayvon Martin birthday tweets

George Zimmerman, who in 2013 was acquitted after being charged with murder for his fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, has filed a lawsuit against two Democratic presidential candidates seeking $265 million in damages. The complaint, reported Wednesday, accuses Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg of defamation. My heart goes out to @SybrinaFulton and Trayvon's family and friends.

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  George Zimmerman sues Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg for defamation, seeks $265 million

  USA TODAY
• Buttigieg and Warren Sued by George Zimmerman

  PR Newswire

Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapons ban over fears of potential civil war

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons has failed after members of his own party balked at the proposal. Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask the state crime commission to study the issue, an outcome that drew cheers from a committee room packed with gun advocates.

9 Rural Farms of the 21st Century Featuring Stunning Modern Design

From Italy to Tasmania, a new book covers those farms with an eye on both sustainability and beautiful design Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Two women dead after car plunges off ferry into waters off exclusive Miami island

Two women are dead after the car they were in plunged off a Miami ferry into the waters off an exclusive island with a members-only club. Miami Fire Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard responded Tuesday after the operator of the Fisher Island ferry reported that a vehicle had fallen off the boat, the agencies reported. Dive crews found the vehicle near Fisher Island within hours, according to the Coast Guard.

Russia raises eyebrows with blanket ban on Chinese visitors

Moscow is to impose a blanket ban on Chinese visitors over coronavirus fears in a move that will hit its tourism industry as experts question the need for such "draconian" measures. Moscow will ban all Chinese citizens from entering its territory from Thursday. It has already halted visa-free tourism for Chinese nationals and stopped issuing them with work visas and suspended rail links and restricted air travel.

• Malaysia maintains tourism target, bets on locals and non-Chinese visitors

  Reuters
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  Russia relaxes visa rules for EU citizens – but not for UK visitors

  The Independent

China kicked out 3 Wall Street Journal reporters after it published an op-ed using a term that invokes the biggest humiliation in Chinese history

Reuters/Pool China is expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters, accusing the newspaper of publishing a racist headline about the country's battle with coronavirus. On February 3, the Journal had published an op-ed by a foreign-affairs academic titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia." The "sick man of Asia" is a 19th-century term that referred to a time when China was internally divided and exploited by foreign powers — a period that still deeply humiliates the country's leadership.

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  China revokes three Wall Street Journal reporters' credentials

  Reuters
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  China expels Wall Street Journal reporters over 'racist' headline

  AFP

Trump declares himself 'chief law enforcement officer' as he issues numerous pardons

President Trump on Tuesday exercised his pardon power, granting clemency to or commuting the sentences of nearly a dozen people convicted of crimes, including former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and junk bond pioneer Michael Milken. Trump also referred to himself as the nation's “chief law enforcement officer,” a title typically reserved for the attorney general. On Tuesday morning, the White House announced Trump's pardoning of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. for his involvement in a 1998 corruption case against former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.

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  Ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's sentence commuted by President Donald Trump

  KABC – Los Angeles
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  Trump refuses to rule out commuting Roger Stone sentence amid string of controversial pardons

  The Independent

Maduro accused of "disappearing" US oilmen as trial delayed

Family members of six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela are accusing Nicolas Maduro's government of “forced disappearance” after the men were inexplicably missing for the scheduled start of their trial on Wednesday. Veronica Vadell said that lawyers for her father, Tomeu Vadell, and the five other executives from Houston-based Citgo had been waiting at a Caracas courthouse for more than six hours for the men to be transferred by the nation's intelligence police. The arrest took place the same day opposition leader Juan Guaidó met with President Donald Trump at the White House, fueling speculation the detention was politically motivated.

Bernie Sanders says he won't release full medical records

WASHINGTON – Bernie Sanders said Tuesday night that he is not planning to release any additional medical records. Speaking during CNN's town hall in Las Vegas, Sanders was asked to clarify whether his presidential campaign would be releasing full medical records, which he previously stated he would do. Sanders will take part in the Democractic candidate debate Wedneday night.

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  Sanders Campaign Manager Slams MSNBC, Says Fox News Is ‘More Fair’

  National Review
• 
  NBC News/WSJ poll: Sanders opens up double-digit lead nationally

  NBC News

How Jewish American pedophiles hide from justice in Israel

Now another alleged Israeli victim has come forward, saying he began abusing her when she was 5-years-old, and continued for years. Karow has successfully evaded authorities by moving between communities in Israel for almost two decades, and he is not alone. A CBS News investigation has found that many accused American pedophiles flee to Israel, and bringing them to justice can be difficult.

Bloomberg's transaction tax sets stage for clash with Wall Street clients

Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg's decision to back a tax on trades marks a blow for Wall Street lobbyists which had seen the moderate Democrat as a potential ally, said analysts and lobbyists. On Tuesday, the former New York mayor and Wall Street investment banker, who made his $60 billion fortune in finance, proposed imposing a 0.1% tax on trading stocks, bonds and derivatives as part of a broader financial services agenda. Bloomberg's decision to back the tax is likely to bring him into conflict with Wall Street firms that are fighting the policy, many of which are the very same clients that helped him make the fortune with which he is funding his campaign.

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  Bloomberg Spent His Entire Career Flattering Wall Street

  HuffPost
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  Mike Bloomberg's new plan to crack down on Wall Street echoes those of Bernie Sanders and AOC

  Business Insider

Turkish president says a new military intervention in Syria is 'imminent'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday told his party's lawmakers it is "only a matter of time" before he launches a new military intervention in neighboring Syria's Idlib province if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not withdraw his forces from the area. "An operation in Idlib is imminent," Erdogan said. "We are counting down; we are making our final warnings.

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  Turkey's Erdogan says Syria talks with Russia unsatisfactory, offensive 'matter of time'

  Reuters
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  Turkey edges towards direct conflict with Russian-backed Syria

  Reuters

Malaysia suspected MH370 downed in murder-suicide: Aussie ex-PM

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has claimed "very top" level Malaysian officials believed vanished Flight MH370 was deliberately downed by the captain in a mass murder-suicide. No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000-square kilometre (46,000-square mile) Indian Ocean search zone and the Australian-led search, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January 2017. The disappearance of the plane has long been the subject of a host of theories -- ranging from the credible to outlandish -- including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

Coronavirus updates: Quarantine ends on cruise ship as death toll passes 2,000

Almost 450 passengers allowed to leave quarantined cruise ship in Japan • U.S. evacuee from cruise ship confirmed to have virus • American passenger still on cruise ship unclear happens next • 2,004 dead, more than 74,100 confirmed cases in mainland China • Second coronavirus death recorded in Hong Kong • China announces measures to cut costs for business affected by outbreak • Adidas, Puma warn of coronavirus hit to China business Iran reports 2 coronavirus deaths Two Iranians have died in hospital after testing positive for the new coronavirus in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom, the head of the city's University of Medical Sciences told Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

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  'I smell a rat here': British couple quarantined on cruise ship claim their coronavirus diagnosis 'might not be true'

  Yahoo News UK
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  Why are cruise ships so dangerous when it comes to viruses spreading?

  Yahoo News UK

Russia Hates This: Why the Astute-Class Submarine Is the Pride of the Royal Navy

Key Point: London's Astute class submarines are powerful and very well-built. Since the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought in 1963, the Royal Navy has maintained a formidable force of nuclear attack submarines. The latest nuclear attack subs, the Astute class, have become a critical component of the future of the Royal Navy—but, given Russia's resurgence, are they enough?

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  The U.S. Navy's Submarine Force Is Shrinking Fast (And Trump Just Made It Worse)

  The National Interest
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  Why It Is Past Time for the Navy to Bring Back Diesel Submarines

  The National Interest

Trump's approval rating hits record high as he mocks 'fake media' polls predicting he'll lose the election

With his approval rating again climbing to post-impeachment high, Donald Trump mocked his Democratic challengers by contending his campaign's internal polling shows him winning a second term. The president used a tweet to call his campaign's polling "REAL," contending those surveys show him "beating all of the Dem candidates". "The Fake News Polls (here we go again, just like 2016) show losing or tied," he tweeted, referring to polls in the last presidential election cycle that up until Election Day showed Mr Trump trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee that year.

Pope tenderly kissed on forehead by man in front-row seat

Well-wishers at Pope Francis' weekly audience have thrust soccer T-shirts, flowers and many a wailing baby into his arms. On Wednesday, Francis seemed to thoroughly enjoy a surprise expression of affection: a long, tender kiss planted on his forehead by a man in one of the front-row seats reserved for ailing or disabled people at the end of his audience. Francis appeared to be smiling when the man, who stood up when the pontiff approached to greet him and others in the front row, pulled the pope's head toward him and gave a kiss lasting several seconds, pressing his nose against Francis' forehead in the process.

Hate crimes go unchecked at Syracuse University, students say

A student activist group that took over a Syracuse University administration building to protest long-simmering charges of racism and bias on campus rejected an attempt by the school to end its three-day sit-in, the school said in a statement Wednesday. The black-led movement #NotAgainSU launched the sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall with more than 20 students Monday to protest the administration's handling of racial incidents at the university. The university's Department of Public Safety sealed off the building and hasn't allowed in food or medicine since Tuesday, according to The Daily Orange, the university's independent newspaper.

Chelsea Manning's lawyers renew call to release her from jail

Lawyers acting for Chelsea Manning, the former US army intelligence analyst who leaked hundreds of thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks, have renewed efforts to secure her release after almost a year of incarceration. The former soldier's attorney, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, has lodged a motion with a federal court in the eastern district of Virginia calling for her to be set free more than 11 months after she was detained. Manning is being held at the Alexandria detention center after she refused to testify before a federal grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange.

• Chelsea Manning renews effort to end jail term in Virginia

  Associated Press
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  Defense, Prosecution on Manning back in jail

  USA TODAY

Have we reached peak Bloomberg? New poll shows potential drop off and a spike in dissatisfaction

Yana Paskova / Getty Insider's latest poll found a spike in voter dissatisfaction with Bloomberg as the potential Democratic nominee. Bloomberg's profile in the race has risen since Iowa and New Hampshire — where he did not compete — as he's set to enter the debate stage tonight and hit the ballot on Super Tuesday. The former New York City Mayor's net support for the nomination may have hit a ceiling.

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  Democrats will get their first chance to challenge Michael Bloomberg at next debate

  ABC News Videos
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  Nevada Democratic debate: Who made the stage, how to watch, and what to expect

  USA TODAY

Hunter Biden Served on Board of Trade Group That Lobbied Obama Admin for Increased Ukraine Aid: Report

Hunter Biden, son of former vice president Joe Biden, was on the board of a trade group that lobbied the Obama administration for increased U.S. aid to Ukraine, according to a report Tuesday. From 2012 through 2018, the younger Biden served as a director for the Center for U.S. Global Leadership and was connected as well with its affiliate, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, The Daily Caller reported. The two groups, which include about 400 larger corporations and non-government organizations, lobbied for increased spending abroad by the State Department's International Affairs Budget, including a special focus on Ukraine.

Sanders was ridiculously naive about the Soviet Union. The Trump ads write themselves.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and I don't have a lot in common. In fact, as a scholar of Soviet and Russian affairs, I visited the USSR and later the new Russia several times. As a Soviet expert and a politically homeless Never Trump voter, I am certain of three things when it comes to Bernie and the Soviets.