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On the roster: Bloomy bursts onto debate stage - Bernie pulls ahead nationally - Trump pumps up pressure on judge in his pal’s case - Oh dear

BLOOMY BURSTS ONTO DEBATE STAGE
AP: “Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, marking the first time he’ll stand alongside the rivals he has so far avoided by bypassing the early voting states and using his personal fortune to define himself through television ads. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published Tuesday shows Bloomberg with 19% support nationally in the Democratic nominating contest. The former New York City mayor, who launched his presidential campaign in November, will appear in Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas alongside former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Fellow billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify. Bloomberg’s campaign said that it was seeing ‘a groundswell of support across the country’ and that qualifying for Wednesday’s debate ‘is the latest sign that Mike’s plan and ability to defeat Donald Trump is resonating with more Americans.’”

Can he keep his cool on stage? - Politico: “Mike Bloomberg’s free-spending campaign rollout has rocketed him into contention for the Democratic nomination — but he now faces a challenge immune to his fortune. [Making] making the debate stage threatens to lay bare one vulnerability Bloomberg's wealth cannot guard against: himself. The former New York City mayor’s irritability with questions he deems unwarranted and controversies he feels he has already put to bed could undermine his debut on the debate stage, where Americans will be introduced to the man behind the ubiquitous campaign ads. … ‘We are expecting that he is going to have a lot of attention on him — he’s going to be attacked,’ a Bloomberg official told POLITICO, noting that it would be his first debate since 2009. The official, who declined to speak on the record, pointed to the other candidates who've had months of practice in eight debates and numerous forums and ‘have gotten better as it’s gone on.’”

What might his comebacks be? - Reuters: “When Michael Bloomberg steps onto the Democratic debate stage for the first time on Wednesday, he will be ready to dismiss rivals like Joe Biden, who as vice president made ‘speeches that somebody writes for him,’ and Pete Buttigieg, ‘mayor of a town.’ Bloomberg told Reuters in an interview earlier this month he would contrast their experience to his success as billionaire chief executive of global financial information and media company Bloomberg LP and three-time mayor of New York City. ‘None of them would know how to run a big organization,’ he said of the seven other Democratic candidates seeking the nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November.”

BERNIE PULLS AHEAD NATIONALLY
NPR: “Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened up a double-digit lead in the Democratic nominating contest, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Sanders has 31% support nationally, up 9 points since December, the last time the poll asked about Democratic voters' preferences. His … second-place rival is former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. … Third among Democratic voters and Democratic-leaning independents is former Vice President Joe Biden with 15%, down 9 points since December. … Following Biden is Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12%, also down from December — by 5 percentage points… Next is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 9%. She's up from 4% in December … The former South Bend, Ind., mayor is at just 8%, down from 13% in December…”

Biden shoots for second place in Nevada - NYT: “[Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz] made clear on the call, [the campaign] was banking on finishing in at least second place in the upcoming Nevada caucuses, a contest that will offer the first major test of Mr. Biden’s assertion that he can uniquely assemble a diverse coalition. Left unsaid: Nevada will also show whether Mr. Biden, the former vice president, can revive his campaign after his first two finishes sent his national poll numbers plummeting, put his donors on edge and jeopardized his standing even in his perceived firewall state, South Carolina. … Mr. Biden’s campaign has redeployed staff from later-voting Super Tuesday states to lend extra manpower in Nevada and now says it has more than 130 staff members on the ground. He is leaning on a roster of high-profile endorsers in the state, and he is campaigning here day after day, putting a particular focus on outreach to voters of color.”

Klobuchar scrambles as the ‘underdog’ - WaPo: “In a sense, the senator is living the dream of the underdog candidate: Klobuchar (D-Minn.) transformed an electric debate moment into an unexpected third place finish in New Hampshire, catapulting her overnight into the top tier of Democratic candidates. But as she seeks to turn that magic moment into something more, the question is whether it’s too late and the challenge too big. … The problems are not just logistical. Fourteen states will vote on Super Tuesday, March 3, when one-third of all delegates are selected, and as that date approaches, it is not clear whether Klobuchar has the resources or the networks to compete. She struggles especially to connect with African American voters, and black activists say she has made little effort. The campaign in recent days had to ask a former Democratic official for a list of black churches in South Carolina, which votes a week after Saturday’s Nevada caucuses.”

Sanders, Bloomy tied in Super Tuesday Virginia race - Monmouth University: “Mike Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden top the field in Virginia, one of the states that holds their Democratic presidential primary on Super Tuesday. … Among Virginia voters who are likely to participate in the Democratic primary on March 3, support currently stands at 22% for Bloomberg, 22% for Sanders, and 18% for Biden. They are trailed by Pete Buttigieg (11%), Amy Klobuchar (9%), and Elizabeth Warren (5%). … The poll asked voters how they would vote in a hypothetical two-person race pitting Sanders against one of the more moderate candidates. In these scenarios, Sanders edges past both Klobuchar (45% to 42%) and Buttigieg (44% to 42%) but comes out on the losing end against Bloomberg (41% to 47%) and by an even wider margin against Biden (38% to 51%).”

Bloomy drops $124 million on Super Tuesday states ads - LAT: “Democratic presidential candidate Michael R. Bloomberg has spent more than $124 million on advertising in the 14 Super Tuesday states, well over 10 times what his top rivals have put into the contests that yield the biggest trove of delegates in a single day. The only other candidate to advertise across most of those states so far is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has spent just under $10 million on ads for the March 3 primaries. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, has also poured millions into ground operations in Super Tuesday states. In Colorado, where voters already are casting primary ballots by mail, he has a paid staff of 55 people; Sanders has two. … There will be 1,357 pledged delegates up for grabs on March 3; it takes 1,991 to capture the nomination.”

Funds state attorney generals for climate change suits - Fox News: “A program funded by 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is paying the salaries of lawyers who are farmed out to liberal state attorney general offices to pursue climate-based litigation -- a compact critics say amounts to Bloomberg buying state law enforcement employees to advance his preferred political agenda. The arrangement, which currently pays the salaries of Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) in 10 Democratic AG offices, is drawing new scrutiny now that Bloomberg is running for president. The New York University School of Law's State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, which was started in 2017 with $5.6 million from Bloomberg's nonprofit, hires mid-career lawyers as ‘research fellows’ before providing them to state AGs where they assist in pursuing ‘progressive’ policy goals through the courts.”

THE RULEBOOK: FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES
“Controversies between the nation and its members or citizens, can only be properly referred to the national tribunals. Any other plan would be contrary to reason, to precedent, and to decorum.” – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 80

TIME OUT: REAL REMBRANDT
AP: “Thanks to modern technology and some expert detective work, a nearly 400-year-old painting that had long been attributed to an unknown artist in Rembrandt’s workshop has now been judged to have been a work of the Dutch master himself. For decades, the Allentown Art Museum displayed an oil-on-oak panel painting called ‘Portrait of a Young Woman’ and credited it to ‘Studio of Rembrandt.’ Two years ago, the painting was sent to New York University for conservation and cleaning. There, conservators began removing layers of overpainting and dark, thick varnish that had been added over centuries — and they began to suspect Rembrandt himself was responsible for the original, delicate brushwork underneath. … Conservators used a variety of tools, including X-ray, infrared and electron microscopy, to bolster the case that it was the work of one of the most important and revered artists in history. The scientific analysis ‘showed brushwork, and a liveliness to that brushwork, that is quite consistent with other works by Rembrandt…’”

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your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
ESTIMATED DELEGATES FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION
Buttigieg: 23
Sanders: 21
Warren: 8
Klobuchar: 7
Biden: 6
[Ed. note: 1,991 delegates needed to win]

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 44 percent
Average disapproval: 51.4 percent
Net Score: -7.4 percent
Change from one week ago: ↓ 1.4 points
[Average includes: Monmouth University: 44% approve - 51% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 43% approve - 53% disapprove; NBC News/WSJ: 46% approve - 51% disapprove; CBS News: 43% approve - 51% disapprove; IBD: 44% approve - 51% disapprove.]

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TRUMP PUMPS UP PRESSURE ON JUDGE IN HIS PAL’S CASE
AP: “Hours before a court session regarding his longtime ally Roger Stone, President Donald Trump is tweeting that Stone’s recent conviction for witness tampering and lying to Congress ‘should be thrown out.’ The barrage of Tuesday morning tweets comes days after Trump earned a public rebuke from his own attorney general, William Barr, who had said the president’s tweets were ‘making it impossible’ for Barr to do his job. Trump tweeted Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano’s comment that the jury appears to have been biased against Trump and calling out Judge Amy Berman Jackson by name, saying ‘almost any judge in the country’ would throw out the conviction. Trump added in a subsequent tweet. ‘Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out.’”

Trump commutes sentence of ex-Gov. Blagojevich, pardons Kerik - Fox News: “President Trump has commuted the sentence of former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in a high-profile corruption case for attempting to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat when he was elected president. Trump confirmed to reporters Tuesday that he's granted clemency for the ex-governor, calling his sentence ‘ridiculous.’ ‘He’ll be able to go back home with his family after serving eight years in jail,’ Trump said. Trump also confirmed that he has pardoned former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was sentenced on tax fraud charges in 2010. It comes on the same day the White House announced Trump was granting a full pardon to former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who was convicted of failing to report a bribe to the former governor of Louisiana when he pleaded guilty in 1998.”

Will schmooze mega donors on West Coast swing - KCAL: “President Donald Trump will make a rare visit to California this week. On Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to meet with organizers of the 2028 Olympic Games to discuss preparations for the summer games. He’s also planning to attend a fundraising dinner in Beverly Hills that night. … On Wednesday, the president will travel to Bakersfield to meet with farmers and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. On Wednesday night, Trump is also scheduled to attend a fundraiser at the Rancho Mirage estate of Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, according to an invitation obtained by the Desert Sun. The invitation billed the gathering as a golf outing and reception.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
White House Correspondents Association lands “SNL” star Kenan Thompson for annual dinner - Variety

Pergram: How the war-powers fight has stretched back decades - Fox News

AUDIBLE: WHAT ABOUT TWEETING BACK?
“He tweets, but I can’t talk about it. How fair is that?” – Former national-security adviser John Bolton in an interview at Duke University on Monday. This was Bolton’s first public remarks since the impeachment inquiry into President Trump began.

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“Height does matter. In modern times, since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the height of Presidents has trended to the tall with most reaching the 6 foot mark. Two notable exceptions would be Harry Truman, the haberdasher from Missouri who fell short at 5'9", and Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer from Georgia, standing a bit taller at 5'9.5". But both of these presidents came into office in unique circumstances (Roosevelt's death and Nixon's resignation). Most recent occupants of the Oval Office have been Donald Trump at 6'3", Barack Obama at 6'1", George W. Bush at 5'-11.5"(just a half inch short), Bill Clinton at 6'2", George H.W. Bush at 6'2", and Ronald Reagan at 6'1". And in our Madison Avenue society, where actors and models are tall, Donald Trump at 6"3" towering over Michael Bloomberg at 5'8" will matter.” – Steve Bartlett, Greenville, S.C.

[Ed. note: There’s certainly something to that, Mr. Bartlett. But there’s also something to the fact that such trends are true until they aren’t. We never had a president who had no experience in public or military service before Trump. We had never had a non-white president before Obama. But Trump will certainly look to mock his opponent’s height if he ends up squaring off with Bloomberg. I imagine, though, that Bloomberg would make fun of Trump’s weight. Ah, the joys of the democratic process…]

“Come on Chris! Bill Madison of Richmond Virginia didn’t deserve an ‘eye roll’ emoji [in Monday’s Halftime Report] even if there was one on your keyboard. He made a point of telling you he was Catholic. He politely pointed out that a priest can be a pastor, but as a Catholic, Saint Valentine should correctly be referred to as a priest or bishop (or Saint). You wouldn’t refer to a Protestant pastor as a ‘priest.’ Why would a Catholic not want a correct reference? His explanation was correct. I agree with Mr. Madigan and noticed the same when I read your comments. Geez. I bet you will get LOTS of pushback from your Catholic readers! Wishing you well regardless.” – Victoria Doyle, Salem, Ore.

[Ed. note: Don’t send the inquisitors after us, Ms. Doyle! There are lots of terms to use for Christian clergy, some are interchangeable and some are specific. And as you say, a Roman Catholic priest may be rightly referred to as a pastor if he is engaging in pastoral work. The title for a Roman Catholic priest who administers a parish today is “pastor,” even though you would refer to him as “father.” But, of course, in the third century they wouldn’t have been speaking English in Rome. The Latin would have been “presbyter” – an elder – the word that would in later centuries give us both “priest” and “Presbyterian.” And neither would Christians of that day have recognized the denominational preferences for terms of address. Nor would they have recognized the idea of denominations! There were certainly sects and accusations of apostasy – this was something like 50 years before the Council of Nicaea – but they wouldn’t have even understood the idea of a Roman rite since they were still six centuries away from the Great Schism. Valentine was neither Protestant nor Catholic, but an elder in the new, rapidly growing Christian faith that was spreading across the Roman Empire. Protestants, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians have a 1,000-year shared history and heritage, with Protestants and Roman Catholics carrying on for another 500 years after that. There are troubling times in those centuries, to be sure, but there is so much that can aid us today. Rather than getting stuck on titles and highlighting differences, we might be better served to take common lessons from a rich, shared heritage. I certainly meant no offense to Roman Catholic readers in using the term “pastor,” and I hope my use of it didn’t occlude the larger lesson about the value of romantic love in this transitory life.]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

OH DEAR
Metro U.K.: “A grandmother who forgot her glasses on a quick shopping trip was left red-faced after buying a box of condoms instead of teabags. Rosemarie Riley, 76, battled the weather to pop over to [the grocery store] and pick up a few items including tea, bread and dog food on Tuesday afternoon. But while browsing the shelves without her glasses, the Lancashire gran-of-eight mistakenly picked up a jumbo 30-pack of Durex Thin Feel condoms costing [$22.11]. Rosemarie only realised her X-rated mistake when bemused husband John, 78, branded her a ‘silly mare’ and asked why she’d bought them as part of the [$34.80 shopping trip]. She begged granddaughter Gemma Riley, 29, to get a refund for her – and was met with ‘howls’ of laughter.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“Though disappointing, democracy’s failures among the collapsed autocracies of the developing world were understandable, given how difficult democratic transition has proved elsewhere.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) in a column excerpted from his 2017 essay “The Authoritarian Temptation,” published in his posthumous book, “The Point of It All.” Column published in the Washington Post on Nov. 8, 2019.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.