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PBC News & Comment: Dems Talk About Gun Laws in Las Vegas

2 years after 58 people died at Mandalay Bay, MGM will pay $800 million, Democratic candidates spar over gun laws…–Beto slams Pete for calling his mandatory assault weapons buyback plan “a shiny object”

–Biden unveils gun plan that’s, um, moderate

–new California poll shows 3-way tie between Warren, Biden and Sanders and weak support for Harris in her home state

–juvenile crime data shows dramatic decline continues

–Beltway bible, The Hill, acknowledges the risk of voting machines

–Peurto Rico’s vulture bondholders are forced to take a haircut, as bankruptcy court reduces debts by one third

NY Times got some financial records on Jeffrey Epstein while avoiding obvious questions

–in silly follow-up, EPA issues notice of water pollution violations in San Francisco, based only on Trump’s delusions

–Virginia doctor convicted of massive opioid distribution gets 40 years in prison

–federal judge is ready to block Trump plan to punish immigrants who get food stamps or other support

–Netanyahu’s lawyers press to dismiss his corruption charges

–deaths reported as protests continue in Haiti

–7 killed as police try to quell protests in Baghdad and across Iraq

–top Twitter exec who manages MidEast is also an officer in British military propaganda unit

–FAIR’s Alan McLeod gives a very fair appraisal of HBO’s Bill Maher—he’s not a liberal

From the impeachment file:

 –Rachel Maddow and Rush Limbaugh give very different takes on impeachment

–Maddow tossed marshmallows at Hillary Clinton last night, seeing no apparent irony in HRC’s criticism of Trump’s lack of transparency

–in latest outburst, Trump demands that China’s Xi investigate the Bidens

–yesterday, Trump melted down twice in appearances with Finland’s president

–NYTimes columnist Frank Bruni mines comparisons with Clinton impeachment

–Times news story notes that Trump is a one-man-band on impeachment

WashPost fact-checkers give Pompeo 4 pinnochios for dissembling on Ukraine phone call

–Limbaugh serves up lies and half-truths to defend Trump, but he’s got Adam Schiff’s number

–did Trump really talk about moats, bayonets and shooting immigrants?

–under pressure from judge, TrumpCo agrees to preserve documents

–as your humble host has opined, the memo of the Zelensky phone call does not appear to be complete

–Australia’s US ambassador and prime minister send conflicting messages on cooperation with Barr’s investigation of Mueller investigation

–Kurt Volker, who abruptly resigned as Ukraine envoy, is testifying behind closed doors today, with no leaks so far

–at The Intercept, Trevor Timm calls for secrecy reform, and he’s right