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President Donald Trump took his war on Rep. Adam Schiff to new heights Sunday morning, tweeting that the Democrats lead impeachment manager had not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!

Trumps tweet drew immediate outrage, with many suggesting it might incite violence against Schiff. What do you say to somebody who says, President Trump is saying that Adam Schiff needs to pay a pricethis is in the midst of Adam Schiff getting death threats,' askedCNNs Jake Tapper during an interview with GOP Sen. James Lankford (Okla.).

I just dont think its a death threat, Lankford responded. I dont think hes encouraging a death threat.

People who are supporters of the president have heard his rhetoric and then actually tried to bomb and kill politicians and the media, Tapper shot backa reference to Cesar Sayoc, a Trump supporter who last year pleaded guilty to mailing pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN in 2018.

Theres little question that Trumps past rhetoric has inspired death threats against his enemies. But Lankford is probably correct that the presidents purpose in sending Sundays tweet wasnt to provoke violence. Rather, Trumps intention was likely to do something that is horrifying in a different wayhe was trying to build the case that Schiff should be prosecuted for daring to oppose him.

Look again at that tweet. Trump called Schiff a CORRUPT POLITICIAN. He didnt mean this in a broad, figurative sensemy enemies are part of a corrupt Washington culture. No, he meant this literally. (And seriously.)

For months, Trump has been arguing that Schiff somehow broke the law when, during a congressional hearing, Schiff loosely paraphrased the essence of Trumps words from the infamous July 25 phone call with Ukraines president. (Republicans claimed that Schiff had intentionally misled viewers by deviating from Trumps precise wording. Schiff countered that everyone understood that he was merely mocking the presidents conduct.) At the time, Trump claimed that Schiff fraudulently and illegally inserted his made up & twisted words into my call.

In October, Trump tweeted that his attorneys should sue the Democrats and Shifty Adam Schiff for fraud. The following month, Trump took the matter further, making clear that he had more than just a civil lawsuit in mind. He tweeted that Schiffalong with the Ukraine whistleblower and the whistleblowers lawyershould be investigared [sic] for fraud! Investigated by whom? He didnt say. But as I wrote at the time, Trump has a long history of demanding that the FBI, the DOJ, and even foreign governments open investigations into his political foeseveryone from Hillary Clinton, to Joe Biden, to James Comey.

Which brings us back to today. Trump didnt just call Schiff corrupt. He called him a conman who made a fraudulent statement to Congress. And Trump once again accused Schiff of illegally making up my phone call.

Trumps accusations are entirely meritless. Even if they werent, its incredibly unlikely that hed succeed in suing, let along criminally prosecuting, Schiffmembers of Congress enjoy broad legal immunity for what they say in committee hearings. But that doesnt mean Trump wont try. And thats terrifying.

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Trump Says Schiff Has Not Paid the Price, Yet. That's Even More Terrifying Than You Thought. - Mother Jones

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