Above the Fold

DEMOCRAT MELEE: “Long-simmering policy disputes between Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and a slew of other candidates exploded into the open during Thursday night’s Democratic primary debate, as the candidates — often with raised voices — laid bare their fundamental disagreements on ‘Medicare-for-all,’ immigration and more,” Fox News reports. Anti-Second-Amendment crusader Beto O'Rourke even declared, “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” Speaking of gun control, The Daily Wire reveals that “House Democrats passed a series of strict gun regulations this week, banning so-called ‘high capacity magazines’ and instituting a handful of ‘protections’ to keep guns out of the hands of undesirable potential owners, but behind the scenes, prominent Dems are backing away from proposals that would create a national ban on the sale and ownership of ‘assault’ weapons.” Beto, call your office!

MCCABE’S LEGAL JEOPARDY: “U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu has recommended moving forward with charges against Andrew McCabe … as the Justice Department rejects a last-ditch appeal from the former top FBI official and current CNN contributor. … The potential charges relate to DOJ inspector general findings against him regarding misleading statements concerning a Hillary Clinton-related investigation.” (Fox News)

National Security, Government, & Politics

9/11 JUSTICE: “The U.S. said Thursday that it will disclose the name of a Saudi citizen sought by lawyers for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks who want to link the kingdom to the terrorist plot. … Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing that the FBI will make the name available to a limited circle of people that includes lawyers for survivors and victims’ relatives as well as to attorneys for the Saudi government. The decision is a big step forward for Sept. 11 victims, who allege in a long-running lawsuit that Saudi Arabia provided support for the attacks.” (Associated Press)

UKRAINE AID: “The Trump administration has released $250 million in military aid to Ukraine that had been held up despite criticism that the money was desperately needed to deter Russian aggression and territorial expansion. That move came before a Senate Appropriations panel debate Thursday, when lawmakers from both parties were set to rebuke the administration.” (Associated Press)

SPEED BUMP: According to Reuters: “The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to revoke California’s authority to set its own vehicle greenhouse gas standards and declare that states are pre-empted from setting their own vehicle rules, three people briefed on the matter said on Thursday. … The EPA in August 2018 proposed revoking a waiver granted to California in 2013 under the Clean Air Act as part of the Trump administration’s plan to roll back Obama-era fuel economy standards.” California was endeavoring to set fuel-efficiency standards for the entire country.

Culture & Heartland

MAKING THE PROBLEM WORSE: “On Wednesday, California lawmakers approved AB 1482, which caps rent increases at 5 percent per year plus inflation, and prevents landlords from evicting tenants without citing a government-approved reason. … Economists and other policy experts have long criticized rent control for reducing the supply and quality of rental housing in the long-run.” (Reason)

DIABOLICAL: “During the preliminary hearing this week in the criminal case against undercover journalists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, a ‘semi-retired’ Planned Parenthood executive admitted that the abortion business had no ban on altering abortion procedures in order to better harvest baby body parts that would later be sold, allegedly for a profit.” (The Daily Wire)

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: Christine Blasey Ford’s father supported Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation (The Federalist)

Closing Arguments

POLICY: Pension bailout bill would only worsen the underfunding crisis (The Daily Signal)

POLICY: Are we due for a global recession? (American Enterprise Institute)

HUMOR: Ocasio-Cortez proposes tuition-free school for children who can’t read good and wanna learn to do other stuff good too (The Babylon Bee)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.

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