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President Trump is running competitively against a handful of top 2020 Democratic contenders thanks in part to Americans increasingly positive feelings about the economy, according to polling released on Monday.

Among registered voters nationwide, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden held a 4-point, 50% to 46% lead in a head-to-head match-up against Mr. Trump, according to the ABC News/Washington Post poll. Thats down from a 17-point edge for Mr. Biden from three months ago.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a 3-point, 49% to 46% lead over the president, Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont held a 2-point, 49% to 47% lead, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota held a 1-point, 48% to 47% lead.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Mr. Trump were tied at 48% apiece. And Mr. Trump held a 3-point, 48% to 45% lead over former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

The key to Mr. Trumps opportunity is a rise in economic confidence, according to an accompanying polling memo from Langer Research Associates.

One year before he took office, 63 percent of Americans said they were worried about maintaining their standard of living, the memo says. Today, 43 percent say so, a broad 20-point drop in personal economic uncertainty.

By a 49% to 43% margin, Americans also said they expect Mr. Trump to win reelection.

Mr. Trump had a 44% approval rating in the poll the best of his presidency. Among registered voters, he was at 47% approval and 50% disapproval.

The survey of 1,004 U.S. adults was taken from Jan. 20-23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points.

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Positive marks on economy boost Donald Trump against 2020 Dems: Poll - Washington Times

Donald Trump made a comment about Debbie Dingell and her late husband, John Dingell, during his "Merry Christmas" rally in Battle Creek. Detroit Free Press

President Donald Trump was at a campaign rallyin Battle Creek on Dec. 18 when he made history, becoming just the third president to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

To commemorate the occasion, a man at the rally decided to get Trump's autograph on an unusual item. As the crowd around him chanted "four more years," Jonathan Moore got the president to put his signature ona printed copy of his articles of impeachment.

Now, those signed articles of impeachment are being auctioned to the highest bidder.

In a signed and notarized letter of provenance, Moore said he attended the Battle Creek rally in Michigan and asked Trump to sign the article of impeachment hours after he was impeached.

Trump "happily complied."

Donald Trump signed impeachment documents at his Rally in Battle Creek on Dec 18 made by Jonathan Moore. The document is being auctioned at Goldin Auctions.(Photo: Goldin Auctions)

Goldin Auctions received thedocument, hundred of pages,along with the letter of provenancein January through a third party.

The unique piece hit the auction block on Jan. 20 with a starting bid of $4,000. The auction will close on Feb. 22,The item is stored in the Goldin Auctions warehouse in New Jersey and the current bid is $14,000.

"We expect for it to go for more $20,000," the auctioneers told the Free Press when asked about the value of the documents.

More: Trump heading back to Michigan to celebrate trade deal with Mexico, Canada

More: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to deliver Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union

Auctioneers verified "the person who got the signature was Jonathan Moore which is who the Letter of Provenance is also from, however, Jonathon Moore was not the consignor."

Beckett Authentication Services verified Donald Trump's signature on impeachment documents he signed at a rally in Battle Creek.(Photo: Goldin Auctions)

The famous signature was authenticated by Beckett Authentication Services. In an email to the Free Press, they said,"It is our opinion that the Trump signature is indeed authentic, as indicated by the Letter of Authenticity that we (Beckett Authentication) provided."

"Donald Trumps signature resembles at times a seismogram reading after an earthquake. He has a very fast and quick signature which shows conviction, strength, and ego," saidSteve Grad, principal authenticator for Beckett Authentication Services."His in person rushed signature is very different from his sit down signature which he signs various bills, documents, and letters with."

Grad saidthe two signatures barely resemble each other.

Beckett Authentication Services keeps an exemplar file dating back to the 1980s of Trump'sautograph showing the changes over the years.

"He (Trump)has gone from a very consistent and legible signature, to a very rushed and hurried autograph, which hes used primarily over the past 25 years as his popularity has grown," Grad stated.

Both Goldin Auctions and Beckett Authentication Services were not able to disclose who submitted the item due to a confidentiality agreement and privacy laws.

Contact Bisma Parvezat 313-222-6420or bparvez@freepress.comFollow her on Twitter @bismapar

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Available to highest bidder: Articles of impeachment, complete with Donald Trump signature - Detroit Free Press

Jonathan Zimmerman, Opinion contributor Published 10:13 a.m. CT Jan. 24, 2020

Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. USA TODAY

Republicans are rightfully criticized for coordinating with Trump. But Democrats are just as biased if they aren't willing to change their minds.

Whenever a controversial political issue arises in my classroom, I ask students the same question: What evidence would get you to change your mind?

And if they cant answer that, I add, were done talking.

Of course, its OK for them to believe whatever they wish. But if they wont tell me what new information would alter their beliefs, theres really no point to having a discussion. Their views are more akin to religion, which is fine as well. Its just not something we can debate or deliberate.

In that spirit, Ive got a question for my fellow Democrats: What would get you to change your mind on the removal of President Donald Trump?

Everything and I do mean everything hangs in the balance.

For the past few weeks, weve been condemning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ofKentucky and other Republicans for making up their minds before Trumps impeachment trial even starts. But have we done the same thing? And if so, how can we denounce the GOP for doing it?

Lets be clear: McConnell and his Republican henchmen already have violated the Senate oath they took recently to do impartial justice in the impeachment trial.

Back in December, McConnell flatly announced that hes not an impartial juror. He also admittedhe had been working with the Trump administration to win the presidents acquittal.

Everything I do during this, Im coordinating with the White House counsel, McConnell told Fox News, adding that there will be no difference between the presidents position and our position.

Oaths are not vague, unenforceable promises: Trump impeachment defense is dangerous. Abuses of power could crack America's foundation.

Likewise, prominent GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has made his own position eminently transparent: Hes voting to acquitTrump, no matter what.

I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind, Graham said at a forum in Qatar last month. Im not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here.

That means Graham was pretendingwhen he took the oath of impartiality. Hes a martinet for Trump, and a liar to boot.

But the Senate Democrats swore to be impartial, as well.

Like my students, they should specify what would make them alter their stance. And if they cant, theyre no more impartial or honest than the Republicans they revile.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer at the Capitol in January 2020.(Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Let me be as clear as possible about my own beliefsand what would change them.

I have no doubt that Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine, and a White House meeting,to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden and his sonHunter. On that matter, my mind is indeed made up. The evidencealready is overwhelming, which is why Republicans are trying to keep more of it out of the Senate trial.

Even so, should the president be removed for what he did? Thats a question of values, not of facts. And to remain true to my own values, I need to say what would change my mind about it.

I would oppose Trumps removal if someone could show me that doing so would permanently injure the ability of American presidents to conduct foreign policy.

I would oppose it if I was convincedthat removing Trump would make impeachment the go-to maneuver whenever the opposition party didnt like what the president was doing (which is always!).

Senate quiet car: Impeachment rules on silence, tech can help free senators from their personal bias bubbles

And I would oppose it if I could agreethat Trumps behavior however aberrant or improper doesnt rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Yes, theres a long historical record suggesting that the Founding Fathers didnt think you needed to commit a crime to merit impeachment. But isnt that precisely the kind of original intent argument that we liberals tend to dismiss in other political battles?

After all, the authors of the Bill of Rights surely didnt think it implied a right to have an abortion. Yet the Constitution is a living document, as we like to say, and its interpretation evolves across time. In 2020 as opposed to 1787 there might be a good reason to rethink the standard for impeachment, just as there is reason to protect abortion rights.

As of right now, I think Trump should be removed. But I must keep my mind open to new arguments and evidence, instead of closing myself off before we have heard them. If I cant, Im no better than Mitch McConnell or Lindsey Graham. Neither are you.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Impeachment: Republicans are in the tank for Trump, but Democrats aren't impartial, either - Abilene Reporter-News

Trump attracts plenty of ridicule for his promise-mongering about the wall with Mexico, but the unbuilt wall can do the same job in 2020 as the hypothetical wall did in 2016 e.g., Reelect me, I have to finish what Nancy Pelosi prevented me from doing, blah blah blah.

Trumps, harsh, cruelty-first immigration policies havent won him many friends in the commentariat, or in states where immigration and asylum issues arent integrally connected to the local economy, i.e., Massachusetts. But he will run on his record.

A Trump ad aired last fall claims he has cut illegal immigration in half an exaggeration, to put it mildly. Yet The Washington Post recently reported that the number of migrants taken into custody along the US-Mexico border has started to plateau after several straight months of decline.

He grasped the nettle, as he promised to do.

Nobel Prize winners are never going to praise Trumponomics (Paul Krugman on Election Day, 2016: Markets are plunging), but in a presidential campaign, three pocketbook issues matter: (1) Is inflation under control? (2) Is gasoline more expensive? and (3) Do I have a job?

The election is several months away, but for now the answers for most Americans are Yes, No, and Yes. Advantage Trump.

Concerning foreign entanglements, Trumps foreign policy can be politely described as incoherent. American troop deployments overseas have either declined or remained steady, depending on whom you choose to believe. When Trump was elected, my greatest fear was that he would provoke a war on the Korean peninsula. That hasnt happened, which either exposes my poor judgment or means that Trump has acted with more restraint than I thought he would.

Trumpism spawned a spate of wheezy Death of Democracy articles in thought leader publications, e.g., The Atlantics How America Ends or The New York Timess How Democracy Dies. What a charade. Trump loves democracy! American democracy has provided him with a tricked-out Boeing 747 that he can fly down to Florida to play golf, any day he wants. Not just on weekends.

Democracy is grand!

Further proof that Trump loves democracy: He has injected himself into several closely contested state elections since he became president. (Louisiana, Kentucky, and Alabama come to mind.) With mixed results, to be sure. But there is no reason to think he wont contest this next election, and vigorously. Itll be worth it just to keep flying his Golf Shuttle, formerly known as Air Force One.

Ah, I hear you say, but people despise Donald Trump. That is true. In one poll, 69 percent of the respondents said they dislike Trumps admittedly loathsome personality. But the Trump campaign has that angle covered: Hes no Mr. Nice Guy, an ad that ran during the 2019 World Series declared, but sometimes it takes a Donald Trump to change Washington.

Its easy to write off Trump as a psychiatric basket case, or an Adolf Hitler wannabe. The truth is much starker: He is a formidable candidate for reelection to the presidency of the United States.

Alex Beams column appears regularly in the Globe. Follow him on Twitter @imalexbeamyrnot.

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Lets analyze Donald Trumps reelection chances - The Boston Globe

Everyone wants to know how Amazon owner Jeff Bezos got hacked. Not only because its surprising to learn that the tech big-wigs phone wasnt adequately protected against cybercrime, but because it matters in todays political landscape.

A forensic analysis of Jeff Bezos cell phone pointed to a WhatsApp video as the source of the hacking attack. The video was sent to Bezos by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Following reports of the hacking source, the Saudi Arabian embassy issued a statement on Twitter calling the accusations absurd. After all, why would Saudi officials want Jeff Bezos personal information?

There are a few potential answers to that the first and most prominent being to hold it over his head in the wake of Washington Post Journalist Jamal Khashoggis death. Khashoggis murder was called into question by WaPo, and the ordeal soured Bezos relationship with Salman, but was it the reason for Bezos phone hack?

Perhaps, but the timing is questionable. The video in question was sent to Jeff Bezos on May 1 while the two men were having a friendly conversation. Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul five months later.

Some say the fact that the Saudi price was monitoring Bezos device shows how far-reaching the nations cyber surveillance efforts have become. Others claim Salman sent the infected video in hopes of getting some dirt on Bezos if the Washington Posts coverage of Saudi Arabia was unpopular.

Proponents of this theory point to the private text messages published by the National Enquirer nine months later as proof. But while the Saudis are almost certainly responsible for infecting Bezos phone, the why has become increasingly important.

If the Saudi prince was hoping to blackmail Bezos or change the way the Washington Post was reporting, does it make sense to publish damaging personal information posing as someone else? The National Enquirer claims the personal exchanges between Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez came from her disgruntled brother.

But her brother tells another story. While he admitted to working with the National Enquirer, Michael Sanchez says he didnt provide the publication with the texts and photographs in question.

Admittedly, there is no concrete evidence linking President Trump to the Jeff Bezos hacking but he is a common thread linking each of the participants. Trump close to the National Enquirers then-owner, David Pecker. The two have been accused of working together to skew media coverage in Trumps favor in the past.

Plus, theres Donald Trumps chummy relationship with Said officials a fact that has been vehemently criticized in the wake of Khashoggis murder. New concerns that the Saudi prince may have been spying on the White House via Jared Kushners phone reveal the president forced [Salmans] security clearance through.

Finally, theres his ongoing conflict with the Washington Post and its owner. Trumps beef with Bezos was rumored to have disrupted a potential deal between Amazon and the Department of Defense. If you subscribe to that theory, is it such a stretch to imagine Trump asking the Saudi Prince to dig up dirt on Bezos?

With Trump currently on trial for abusing his power for his own personal gain, the fact that he has been feuding with Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post for years cant be overlooked. Saudi Arabias bold Twitter post calling for an investigation into claims that Prince Salman is behind the hacking attack are telling. Whether the White House is willing to delve into the matter further is likely dependent on the presidents involvement.

Moving forward, keep an eye on Trumps response and Washingtons willingness to investigate the Saudis cyber-surveillance. While there isnt any evidence linking Donald Trump to the ordeal right now, Id say theres a good chance there will be if the investigation goes further.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

This article was edited by Sam Bourgi.

Last modified: January 22, 2020 4:49 PM UTC

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Donald Trump May Have Been Behind Jeff Bezos Phone Hack - CCN.com