Due to his moderate politics and name recognition, former Vice President Joe Biden may be well-suited to make inroads with blue-collar swing voters who broke for Trump in 2016.
Michael Bloomberg's annual physical exam found that he is in "outstanding health," according to a letter from Bloomberg's doctor released by his campaign Thursday.
Why it matters: Bloomberg, 77, is the second-oldest contender for the Democratic nomination behind the 78-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders, who suffered a heart attack in October. Age and mental acuity have risen to the forefront of campaign issues in a race dominated by septuagenarians.
The Senate passed a resolution via unanimous consent Thursday formally recognizing Turkey's genocide of the Armenian people.
Why it matters: The previous three attempts by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to pass the resolution were blocked by Republican senators at the request of the White House, which feared that its passage would infuriate the Turkish government during a tense period of U.S.-Turkey relations.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder said in an op-ed for the Washington Post that his successor Bill Barr is "unfit to lead the Justice Department" due to his "nakedly partisan" actions.
Why it matters: Holder argues Barr has diminished his professional reputation in the legal world by working for President Trump because Barr puts the president's interests above the nation's.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios: "I'm not in the camp of calling a bunch of witnesses [in President Trump's impeachment trial]. ... I think as an American, the best thing we do is deep-six this thing."
The big picture: Many Senate Republicans told Axios that they trust Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's judgment on whether to accelerate the vote to acquit the president.
Mike Bloomberg will donate$10 million this week "to defend vulnerable Democratic House members against paid Republican attacks on their support for impeachment proceedings" in 2020, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: We're told Bloomberg sees House Democrats as a counterweight to President Trump — the reason he was the biggest outside individual spender on Democrats during the 2018 midterms.
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to advance a proposal Thursday to let Americans reach a national suicide prevention hotline by dialing 988. The move comes amid widespread concern about the country's rising suicide rate.
The big picture: Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 47,000 deaths by suicide in 2017. With this proposal, the FCC is aiming to make it easier to reach crisis services and reduce the stigma around suicide and mental health emergencies.
About a quarter of the U.S. population —and more than 8 in 10 residents of Detroit — live in areas likely to be difficult for the census to accurately count next year, according to census data analyzed by the Associated Press.
Why it matters: "Hard to count" often translates to underrepresentation. The 2020 census will be the basis for allocating political power and government funding for the next decade.
