Bloomberg glides past Warren to No. 3 in Democratic race — Reuters/Ipsos poll

After steadily rising in popularity over the last several weeks, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg appears to have surpassed Sen. Elizabeth Warren among registered voters for the 2020 Democratic nomination, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national public opinion poll released Thursday.

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Don Lemon Did Trump a Huge Favor

A  video of CNN news anchor Don Lemon laughing hysterically as his guests mocked Donald Trump’s supporters went viral this week -- and it couldn’t have been a more effective campaign ad for the president.In the video, which was clipped from a live broadcast that aired on Saturday night, Lemon can be seen crying tears of laughter, and at one point even slamming his head on his desk, because he’s apparently so overwhelmed with joy and amusement.It all started after one guest, ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson, joked that Trump would be too stupid to find Ukraine on a map, before calling Trump’s supporters the “credulous boomer rube demo.”Lemon laughed heartily, and so Wilson continued his mocking:“‘Donald Trump’s the smart one — and y’all elitists are dumb!’” Wilson said in a heavy, stereotypical southern accent.Then, the other guest (CNN contributor Wajahat Ali) chimed in, saying: “‘You elitists with your geography and your maps -- and your spelling!’”“‘Your math and your reading!’” Wilson added. “‘All those lines on the map!’”By Tuesday night, Lemon was receiving considerable backlash over the clip -- prompting him to address the controversy on his show:> Ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you -- I don’t believe in belittling people, belittling anyone for who they are, what they believe. During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And while in the moment, I found that joke humorous. And I didn’t catch everything that was said.“Just to make it perfectly clear,” he added. “I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people.”(Notice that Lemon stopped short of actually apologizing for his behavior.)First of all, it seems pretty clear to me that Lemon’s defense (that he simply “didn’t catch” everything the panelists were saying) is a blatant lie. He is laughing, consistently, while the guests are making their jokes, and then continuing to laugh after the guests make them. You don’t need to be a human-behavior expert to understand that, when someone is laughing during and after a joke, then the laughter is because of that joke.Lemon knew exactly what he was laughing at -- and, by refusing to apologize, he has made it clear that he doesn’t see anything wrong with that, either.The thing is, though, he should regret it -- for his own sake. After all, it’s clear that Lemon hates Trump, and his performance in that segment is going to be a way bigger help to the incumbent president than anything that Trump could ever do for himself.Make no mistake: Clips like this embolden Trump’s supporters. They don’t see this sort of mockery and start to question their beliefs -- rather, it just strengthens their view that it is them (and Trump) against the world. It makes them more loyal to the president, not less.If you don’t understand what I mean, just think about what happened after Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” comment. Did that turn people away from Trump? Far from it. In fact, it prompted countless Trump supporters to use the word in their names or handles on Twitter. It prompted the Trump campaign to sell “deplorable” T-shirts. It prompted Trump to use the comments for his own campaign’s fundraising, and to bring his supporters closer to him, as well as to present himself as the foil who would never demean them in that way. (“While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hardworking American patriots who love your country and want a better future for all of our people,” Trump said during a rally in Iowa shortly afterwards.)In other words? Rather than question their choice of alliance because of Clinton’s insult, Trump’s supporters embraced it -- clearly seeing it as evidence that the people who disagree with them, in fact, don’t just disagree with them; they hate them, too. They think that they’re stupid. Nobody wants to listen to anyone who just got done calling them dumb, and all Lemon did here was further solidify the narrative that “liberal media elites” like him think Trump supporters are fools, which, in turn, only makes them hate Trump’s opposition more.What’s more, in Lemon’s instance, his guests’ usage of stereotypical Southern accents -- clearly intended to signify “stupidity” -- could extend the consequences of this particular blunder to include turning off those voters in rural areas who are on the fence politically. Trump can point directly to this segment as evidence whenever he makes one of his favorite claims: that his opponents don’t respect his supporters or rural Americans.In fact, this clip actually also provides ammunition for another one of Trump’s favorite claims: the idea that CNN is “Fake News.” Looking at this clip -- and seeing a CNN news anchor laughing at Trump supporters this way -- makes it easier for Trump to tell his supporters that all the news coming from CNN is tainted with this same bias, and therefore not reliable. It makes it more likely that they will blindly believe Trump, who hasn’t insulted them, and less likely that they will believe that anyone affiliated with CNN could ever have a legitimate criticism.Lemon, I’m guessing, didn’t expect that any Trump supporters would ever see this clip of him laughing at them -- but, unfortunately for him, millions of them did. If he doesn’t want to apologize to the people he insulted, then that is perfectly fine. He might, however, want to consider apologizing to the people who are going to actually be hurt by it the most: the people who want Trump out of office, and the network he represents.

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Parents charged after Chicago boy shot in struggle over gun

The parents of a 1-year-old boy who was shot in the head as his parents struggled over a gun inside a Chicago home were each ordered held on Thursday in lieu of $10,000 bond. Travis McCoy, 26, is charged with felony false alarm to 911 and misdemeanor child endangerment. Adriana Smith, 28, is charged with felony obstruction of justice and misdemeanor child endangerment.

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Trump impeachment: Failed witnesses vote paves way for acquittal

Bid to call witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial fails, setting up a likely acquittal next week.

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The Papers: 'Make leave not war' and 'what next?'

Saturday's newspapers mark a "moment of history" as Britain leaves the European Union after 47 years.

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Trump impeachment: Failed witnesses vote paves way for acquittal

Bid to call witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial fails, setting up a likely acquittal next week.

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The Papers: 'Make leave not war' and 'what next?'

Saturday's newspapers mark a "moment of history" as Britain leaves the European Union after 47 years.

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Brexit at last: Britain leaves the EU as champagne corks fly

The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Friday for an uncertain future, with Brexiteers claiming victory and popping champagne corks for an "independence day" they said marked a new era for the country.

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'We are free': Flag-waving Britons cheer in Brexit

Singing patriotic songs and waving Union Jacks, thousands of Britons flocked to a muddy patch of grass outside parliament on a damp Friday night to toast their moment of history: Britain's departure from the European Union.

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Last train to Europe: all aboard the Eurostar as Britain bids goodbye

On the last train to Europe before Britain left the EU on Friday evening, passengers leaving London expressed sorrow, optimism and anger, reflecting the emotions of a nation conflicted ahead its great leap into the unknown.

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Former Belgian-Nicaraguan political prisoner calls for probe into Ortega government

Nicaragua's best known former political prisoner, Amaya Coppens, is calling for international organizations to investigate alleged abuses by the government of President Daniel Ortega.

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Trump eases restrictions on land mine use by U.S. military

President Donald Trump on Friday relaxed Obama-era restrictions on the U.S. military's use of anti-personnel land mines, arguing that the previous policy could put American troops at a "severe disadvantage."

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China's Hubei reports 45 new coronavirus deaths, total at 249

China's Hubei province, the epicentre of a coronavirus epidemic, reported 45 new deaths from the outbreak on Friday, bringing the total to 249, the local health commission said on Saturday.

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U.S. declares coronavirus public health emergency after imposing quarantines

Reuters) - The Trump administration, while insisting the risk to Americans from coronavirus is low, nevertheless declared a public health emergency on Friday and announced the extraordinary step of barring entry to the United States of foreign nationals who have traveled to China.

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Britain Brexits - United Kingdom leaves the European Union

The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Friday for an uncertain Brexit future, turning its back on post-World War Two attempts to unite the once warring nations of Europe into a global power.

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Airlines suspend China flights because of coronavirus outbreak

Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak, which as of Friday had killed more than 200 people and infected nearly 10,000 people.

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Companies feel impact of coronavirus outbreak in China

Some companies have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in China that has killed more than 200 people and infected thousands could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines as factories and shops shut and airlines suspend flights.

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Trump's expanded travel ban targets Nigeria, five other countries

U.S. President Donald Trump will issue an expanded version of his travel ban on Friday that targets prospective immigrants from Nigeria and five other countries, U.S. officials said, a move that could affect thousands of people and reignite debate over whether the policy is discriminatory.

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Hillary Clinton Slams Bernie Sanders for Not Working to Unite Democrats in 2016

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Plans for Alabama’s Deadly Prisons ‘Won’t Fix the Horrors’

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Brexit Has Arrived. But Boris Johnson’s Reign Is Just Beginning.

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