The New York Times
The AFL-CIO, representing up to 10 million workers, is looking to raise tens of millions of dollars to galvanize voters to get to the polls in November. The idea was floated to officials at their winter meeting in San Diego last week. The proposed PAC would raise money from unions and progressive donors. Contributing unions would get a seat on the PAC’s governing board for every $1 million contributed, with a limit of five seats.
The Washington Post
In a blow to Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign, Donald Trump has been endorsed by hard-line conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions, Republican from Alabama. Considering Cruz’s tough stance on immigration, he was probably hoping Sen. Sessions would support his campaign. Sessions was a surprise appearance alongside Donald Trump and joined the Trump train amid a slew of endorsements for the GOP front runner.
Reuters
Gearing up for an active March 1 (Super Tuesday), groups supporting Sen. Ted Cruz, including the Keep the Promise Super PAC, spent $2.4 million in online, radio and television ads. The groups put $393,500 in radio advertising for seven states, $990,000 on TV in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma -- states in which Cruz will need to narrow the gap between himself and Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal
Despite a strong lead and expected win in South Carolina tomorrow, Hillary Clinton is not leaving any doubt in the first Southern state to vote. Sen. Sanders seems to have conceded South Carolina, spending more time in Ohio and Oklahoma speaking to college students. The Sanders campaign, however, is still campaigning heavily in South Carolina, knocking on doors and cold-calling voters. With the vote tomorrow, Clinton will be hoping for the kind of win Sanders pulled off in New Hampshire.
The Washington Post
Former Mexican president, Vicente Fox came out forcefully against the Trump wall, telling Fusion’s Jorge Ramos: “I’m not going to pay for that f--- wall.” Fox also called Trump a “crazy guy” and “a false prophet.” In last night’s Telemundo/CNN debate, when asked about Fox’s comments, Trump retorted: “The wall just got 10 feet taller.”
Reuters
The Brooklyn design firm FCTRY developed a Sen. Bernie Sanders action-figure prototype, complete with his signature slouch, open mouth and pointed finger. FCTRY launched a Kickstarter campaign with the hope of raising $15,000. Within 24 hours, the goal had more than doubled, with $40,000 pledged. The company has also made Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama figures in the past.
The New York Times
In yet new evidence of intolerance among Trump supporters, YouGov presents national data showing one in five Trump voters with negative opinions of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves. In a similar vein, a whopping 70% of Trump supporters in South Carolina wished the Confederate flag were still flying on statehouse grounds, and 38% wish that the South had won the Civil War.
Politico
Trump’s wife, who was not born an American citizen, spoke with MSNBC about the process she had to go through in order to become a citizen. “I followed the law,” Mrs. Trump said, “I never thought to stay here with papers. I had a visa, I traveled every few months back to the country to Slovenia to stamp the visa.” She added that the Trump clan was ready for people to call her husband names. “We have thick skin … They don’t give him enough credit.”
The New York Times
With three wins in a row under his belt, Donald Trump will most likely be the object of attacks from his closest rivals Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. With no wins yet, Rubio will be on the prowl and as Michael Barbaro noted: “He has to have the biggest night of his campaign,” attacking both Trump and Cruz. The debate is expected to have an impact, considering its proximity to Super Tuesday.
The New York Times
In further evidence that Donald Trump is changing the rules of the political game, he told a crowd in Las Vegas on Monday that he wanted to punch a protester in the crowd. Waxing nostalgic about the “old days,” Trump told the crowd: “You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher.”