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Hurricane Julia weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday.

According to the National Hurricane Center, portions of Central America could experience flash flooding and mudslides through Monday.

As of Sunday night, Julia was 95 miles southeast of San Salvador, El Salvador.

Julia had winds of 40 mph, and the system was moving west at 15 mph.

“Julia did a rare crossover from the Atlantic to Pacific basin today. The last storm to do that was Bonnie earlier this year in July,” WESH 2’s Cam Tran said.

“On the forecast track, the center of Julia will move close to and parallel to the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala overnight and on Monday,” the National Hurricane Center wrote. “Additional weakening is forecast, but Julia is expected to remain a tropical storm near the Pacific coast of Central America through early Monday.”

Julia is forecast to dissipate by Monday night. This storm is not expected to impact Florida.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A tropical storm warning is in effect for…

* Pacific coast of Nicaragua from Puerto Sandino northward to the Honduras border

* Pacific coast of Honduras

* Coast of El Salvador

A tropical storm watch is in effect for…

* Pacific coast of Guatemala

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area.

KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED

  • Stay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.
  • Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.
  • Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.
  • Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.
  • Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.

The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.

  • Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per day
  • Canned food and soup, such as beans and chili
  • Can opener for the cans without the easy-open lids
  • Assemble a first-aid kit
  • Two weeks’ worth of prescription medications
  • Baby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapers
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Battery-operated weather radio

WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED

  • Listen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.
  • Complete preparation activities.
  • If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.
  • Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.

HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANE

A smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.

Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | Android

Enable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.

If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from the most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.

PET AND ANIMAL SAFETY

Your pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.

  • Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.
  • Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal.

Source Article from https://www.wesh.com/article/hurricane-weakens-tropical-storm-julia/41567845

State public health officials on Monday announced 658 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily total since March 30, when 460 cases were reported. Officials have said figures tend to be lower following the weekend, when labs report fewer results. There were results from 16,099 tests in the previous 24 hours, officials said, compared with 21,155 tests reported Saturday for the previous 24 hours.

Source Article from https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-jb-pritzker-defunding-police-20200608-uszh4ez74vferdfjvxcqk7lofu-story.html

President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package took a key step forward Friday night after Democratic leaders reached an agreement with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., on unemployment insurance benefits.

A Democratic push to move forward with Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” halted for hours on Friday after Manchin balked the terms of unemployment insurance outlined in the House’s version of the bill.

Manchin’s support is critical for Senate Democrats, who hold a razor-thin majority in the upper chamber and have garnered little support from GOP lawmakers on the package. Even with passage possible through a simple majority vote under special budget reconciliation rules, the Democrats will likely need to stay united in order to get the package through the Senate.

“The President has made it clear we will have enough vaccines for every American by the end of May and I am confident the economic recovery will follow,” Manchin said in a statement. “We have reached a compromise that enables the economy to rebound quickly while also protecting those receiving unemployment benefits from being hit with unexpected tax bill next year.”

Under the agreement with Manchin, Senate Democrats will submit a framework for $300 in weekly unemployment benefits through Sept. 6. In the House version, the weekly unemployment benefit was $400 through Aug. 29.

The agreement also includes a provision denoting that the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance is untaxable for first-time recipients in households earning less than $150,000. The clause was not included in the House bill.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden backs the compromise.

“The President supports the compromise agreement, and is grateful to all the Senators who worked so hard to reach this outcome,” she said in a statement. “It extends supplemental unemployment benefit into September, and helps the vast majority of unemployment insurance recipients avoid unanticipated tax bills. Most importantly, this agreement allows us to move forward on the urgently needed American Rescue Plan, with $1400 relief checks, funding we need to finish the vaccine rollout, open our schools, help those suffering from the pandemic, and more.”

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The Senate will proceed with its “vote-a-rama” on the bill, during which senators can propose amendments to the package as it currently stands. Earlier Friday, lawmakers shot down Sen. Bernie Sanders’ amendment that sought to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour as part of the package.

The Senate is expected to finalize the relief bill this weekend, though the exact timing of a final vote remains unclear.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-dems-manchin-reach-deal-covid-19-unemployment-benefits-ending-lengthy-delay

President TrumpDonald John TrumpFederal prosecutors investigating Giuliani: report House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and top Republican to introduce sanctions bill against Turkey Trump lashes out at 2020 Dems, impeachment inquiry MORE‘s attorney Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiFederal prosecutors investigating Giuliani: report In marathon testimony, Dems see an ambassador scorned, while GOP defends Trump Arrested Giuliani associate attended Trump’s invite-only 2016 election night party: report MORE said Saturday that he has not been contacted by federal investigators and received no indication he is under investigation for his work for Trump in Ukraine.

Giuliani maintained in an interview Saturday night with CNN that he had not spoken with investigators representing federal prosecutors, and questioned why the existence of such a probe had been leaked to The New York Times.

“Nothing but leaks, which has to tell you whether they are or are not investigating, it’s a political attack. Otherwise, why leak it?” Giuliani asked. “If it’s an appropriate law enforcement investigation, you try to keep it secret so the subjects aren’t alerted.”

Giuliani’s comments come as President Trump confirmed Saturday evening that Giuliani remains a member of his legal team following the Times report this week revealing that Manhattan-based federal prosecutors are investigating his run-around of a State Department official to persuade Ukraine’s president to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenFederal prosecutors investigating Giuliani: report Trump lashes out at 2020 Dems, impeachment inquiry In marathon testimony, Dems see an ambassador scorned, while GOP defends Trump MORE (D).

Giuliani and Trump’s efforts to spur such an investigation into Biden are now central to an impeachment inquiry opened by House Democrats, with which Giuliani and other White House officials have refused to cooperate.

Two associates of the former New York City mayor involved in his Ukraine efforts were also arrested this week and accused of running a scheme to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to Republican candidates and Trump-aligned groups.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/465555-giuliani-says-he-is-unaware-of-reported-federal-investigation

The second-largest grouping was composed of migrants from outside Mexico and Central America whom CBP categorized as “other,” including Haitians, Venezuelans, Ecuadorans, Cubans, Brazilians and migrants from dozens of other nations. They accounted for 367,000 arrests.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/border-arrests-record-levels-2021/2021/10/19/289dce64-3115-11ec-a880-a9d8c009a0b1_story.html

President Trump speaks to Venezuelan Americans in Miami Monday, denouncing the Maduro government and military members who support it.

Andrew Harnik/AP


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Andrew Harnik/AP

President Trump speaks to Venezuelan Americans in Miami Monday, denouncing the Maduro government and military members who support it.

Andrew Harnik/AP

At a campaign-style speech in Miami on Monday, President Trump said the Venezuelan military should not interfere with humanitarian aid coming into the country, or resort to violence, as the U.S. and other nations throw their support behind parliamentary leader Juan Guaidó as interim president over the current leader, socialist Nicolás Maduro.

Trump cautioned that time is running out for Maduro and that those who have been slow to embrace the opposition leader, whom the U.S. recognized as that nation’s legitimate president last month, are confronted with a perilous choice as the world watches.

Trump specifically addressed the military, saying that backing Guaidó would lead to “a safe and prosperous future for all of the people of Venezuela.” But continuing to back Maduro, whom Trump called a “Cuban puppet,” would lead to a world of personal suffering.

“If you choose this path you will find no safe harbor, no easy exit and no way out. You will lose everything,” Trump said to cheers from the crowd. “They are risking their lives and risking their future for a man controlled by the Cuban military.”

Trump accused Maduro and the handful of elites he said run the country of plundering the nation “into poverty and into death.” And Trump railed against what he described as the “tyrannical socialist” governance that has brought the once-wealthy nation to the brink of ruin.

He urged military leaders to turn away from socialism and toward democracy, reiterating Guaidó’s promises of amnesty under which military leaders would be allowed to live life “in peace with your families and your countryman.”

“End this nightmare of poverty, hunger and death for your people,” Trump pleaded, noting that the U.S. delivered a shipment of humanitarian assistance for Venezuela to Colombia over the weekend, including thousands of nutrition kits for children.

As NPR has reported, U.S. officials have admitted the delivery is part of a sweeping effort in the past two weeks to amass such a vast supply of much-needed food and medicine just out of reach of the desperate population, that Venezuelan military officers will be forced to capitulate and defy Maduro by allowing aid to enter the country.

So far, the Venezuelan president has refused to allow the foreign aid to cross the border, insisting it is “a Trojan horse” and “a precursor to an American invasion,” NPR’s Eyder Peralta told All Things Considered.

The supplies remain stuck, blocked by Maduro’s army at the Colombian-Venezuelan border.

During the speech Trump said the U.S. seeks a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela, but he added “all options are open.”

The spirited speech did not contain any specifics regarding imminent diplomatic or policy changes. But, in what’s likely a field-test of some of Trump’s 2020 re-election themes, the president continually bashed socialism in the swing state of Florida before an audience of Venezuelan exiles and Cuban-Americans.

“The twilight hour of socialism has arrived,” Trump said, adding that the 50 nations that have recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela have a “shared interest in preventing the spread of “socialism.”

Trump also condemned the “ugly alliance” between the Cuban and Venezuelan governments, which he said propped one another up.

“To those who would impose socialism on the U.S.,” he said, “we again deliver a very simple message: America will never be a socialist country.”

Trump’s speech came on the same day that Maduro’s government expelled a group of European Union diplomats who planned to meet with Guaidó .

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/18/695797870/trump-warns-venezuelas-maduro-supporters-you-will-lose-everything

Nearly every state has certified its results, and Mr. Biden has officially secured more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become president.

In Pennsylvania, Mr. Biden was certified the winner last month by the Department of State, and Mr. Wolf signed a “certificate of ascertainment” for Mr. Biden’s slate of electors to be appointed to the Electoral College, which votes on Dec. 14.

Nonetheless, 64 Republicans in the General Assembly, including Mr. Cutler and other members of the leadership, called on Friday for Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to reject the electoral votes for Mr. Biden when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to confirm the Electoral College results. The effort is highly unlikely, not least because the Democratic-led House of Representatives would need to agree to it. Pennsylvania’s most senior congressional Republican, Senator Pat Toomey, has said through his office that he “will not be objecting” to Mr. Biden’s 20 electoral votes from the state.

Mr. Trump’s personal attacks on the few top Republicans who debunk his fraud claims, such as in Georgia and Arizona, as well as his efforts to enlist allies in the party in his brazen effort to reverse the will of voters, such as in Pennsylvania, are likely to make the issue crucial to elections next year and in the 2022 midterms. Republican primaries could become contests of who stood behind Mr. Trump in his baseless claims that undermined faith in democracy.

State Representative Joanna E. McClinton, the minority leader of the Pennsylvania House Democrats, called Republican assertions of widespread fraud, which have echoed Mr. Trump’s descent into conspiracy theories and disinformation, “outrageous.”

“We are seeing extremists who claim they love the Constitution,” she said, “but who want to throw the Constitution away just because the president lost his bid for re-election.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/us/politics/trump-pennsylvania-house-speaker.html

Watching the four-woman “squad” respond to President Trump’s already famous Tweets urging “progressive” Democrats to “go back” to their “original countries,” one wonders why Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts would want to be lumped in with the other three.

Pressley’s remarks were standard-issue liberal, but restrained and dignified in the face of Trump’s out-of-bounds comments. The other three Democrats handled the situation very differently, combining mendacity, smears, and radicalism in ways with which Pressley should not want to be associated.

Pressley never even used the words “racist” or “racism.” Using the words correctly, she accused Trump of making remarks that were “xenophobic and bigoted.” That’s a far cry from, and much more defensible than, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota accusing Trump of “white supremacy” and of an agenda of a “white nationalist.”

Omar also repeated the accusation, without a shred of proof, that children detained at the U.S.-Mexican border are being forced to drink water from toilets. She repeated, against all known proof so far, that there is “credible” evidence that Trump “colluded” illegally with a foreign country. And, without offering a single example of Trump having committed “high crimes and misdemeanors,” she called for the president to be impeached. All of those claims or suggestions are completely without foundation.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan also called for impeachment. Like Omar, Tlaib offered no specific allegation that would amount to an impeachable offense. This is irresponsible. The impeachment-and-removal process is serious business. General obnoxiousness, of which Trump is certainly guilty, is far from an ordinarily acceptable reason for removal from office.

Then there was the noted publicity hound Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who throws around balderdash like a toddler throwing strained peas. Not content to blast the president alone, she accused his secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, of working with Trump to turn the nation’s education system into a corrupt “cash cow” for their own enrichment. That’s slander, pure and simple. She also accused Trump of believing that Americans do not deserve healthcare. This is, well, risible.

All in all, even when appearing to try to keep their remarks somewhat restrained, Reps. Tlaib, Omar, and Ocasio-Cortez showed why their radicalism has made them deeply unpopular with the American public. That’s all the more reason for Pressley, who even in pointed remarks still stayed within ordinary bounds of civil discourse, to speak on her own without associating herself with the three rabble-rousers.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rep-pressley-doesnt-belong-with-aoc-omar-and-tlaib

Gov. Andrew Cuomo again said Friday he would like to reopen New York’s shuttered economy, but reiterated once more that testing must dramatically expand before the Empire State can safely get back to work.

“You only have a very slim margin to operate on,” Cuomo said Friday during his daily press briefing, as he discussed how much and how quickly New York could return to normal.

“How do you measure this? How do you calibrate it,” Cuomo rhetorically asked, warning that ending the shutdown and social distancing orders too quickly could allow the pandemic to reassert itself. 

The disease has already killed more than 11,000 people in New York City alone.

Cuomo — and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — have repeatedly said that testing must expand and have called on the federal government to help make that happen, calls which President Trump has rejected.

“You have to develop a testing capacity that does not now exist and then you test people on higher volumes than ever before,” Cuomo reiterated on Friday. “You then trace them to find the positives and then you isolate them.”

The comments immediately spurred a sharp rebuke on Twitter from Trump.

The governor also emphasized that any reopening must be done in conjunction with New York’s neighbors, including Connecticut and New Jersey.

The continued push to expand testing comes as an analysis by The Post revealed that testing in New York City is happening most frequently in zip codes that are whiter or wealthier — and frequently both — than the average across the Big Apple.

That comes as city data shows that the city’s black and Hispanic residents are dying at twice the rate of whites from the disease.

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/cuomo-wants-to-restart-new-yorks-economy-if-testing-expands/

Multiple reporters and pundits hit President Biden for walking back his comments that Facebook is “killing people” with COVID-19 misinformation, noting he had admittedly spread misinformation himself.

“They’re killing people,” Biden said of Facebook in response to a reporter’s question on Friday. “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they’re killing people.”

Asked to clarify those controversial comments on Monday, Biden narrowed down his targets to a dozen spreaders of what the government has deemed harmful misinformation about the coronavirus and the vaccines against it.

“Facebook pointed out that most of the disinformation came from 12 individuals,” Biden said. “I was asked, what is happening … “Facebook isn’t killing people. These 12 people are killing people. My hope is that they would do something about misinformation — outrageous misinformation about vaccines.”

BIDEN BLASTED FOR ACCUSING FACEBOOK OF ‘KILLING PEOPLE’ OVER COVID MISINFORMATION AS WH PARTNERS WITH BIG TECH

The Verge reporter Alex Heath responded to Biden’s clarification, quipping, “you shouldn’t take me calling you a murderer personally.”

“Not the administration’s finest hour,” agreed NBC’s Dylan Byers.

A few others, like The Atlantic’s David A. Graham and conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings, wondered if the White House was guilty of the kind of “misinformation” the administration mentioned on Friday.

FACEBOOK ISSUES HARSH RESPONSE TO BIDEN ACCUSATION THAT PLATFORM IS ‘KILLING PEOPLE’

“So was the previous statement…misinformation?” Graham asked.

“Walkback on aisle 1600,” said The National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar.

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Facebook released a defensive statement following Biden’s initial accusation, arguing that their platform “is helping save lives.”

“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” Facebook said. “The fact is that more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives. Period.”

The White House recently unveiled their partnership with Big Tech companies to crack down on so-called coronavirus “misinformation,” with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying the administration is “making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives.” Critics said the effort would do little more than hinder free speech and pointed out Facebook’s checkered history on identifying misinformation, such as when it flagged posts about the coronavirus lab-leak theory.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/reporters-hit-biden-for-walking-back-facebook-comment-not-the-administrations-finest-hour

“It’s just too much for a little kid to have to go through,” said Betty Fraire, tears rolling down her face, referring to her 9-year-old grandson. “Us adults, too, we are trying to stay strong, for them, for our community, but it’s just too much.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/05/30/rosaries-bouquets-tiny-caskets-uvalde-begins-bury-its-dead/

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/13/breonna-taylor-case-louisville-awaits-daniel-camerons-decision/5780005002/

Six candidates will take the stage on Tuesday night for the first Democratic presidential primary debate of 2020 — and the last one before the Iowa caucuses.

The debate, which will take place at Drake University in Des Moines, will be one of the last chances for the primary field’s top contenders to stand out.

Four candidates — Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersBiden most trusted among Democratic primary voters on foreign relations: poll Warren: Sanders said a woman could not win the White House Hill.TV’s Saagar Enjeti warns Biden’s Iraq record could be general election issue MORE (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenBiden most trusted among Democratic primary voters on foreign relations: poll Warren: Sanders said a woman could not win the White House Conservatives slam Warren’s call to put transgender women in women’s prisons MORE (D-Mass.), former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegBiden most trusted among Democratic primary voters on foreign relations: poll Warren: Sanders said a woman could not win the White House Sanders-Warren fight unnerves progressives MORE (D) and former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden most trusted among Democratic primary voters on foreign relations: poll Russia hacked Ukrainian gas company at center of impeachment inquiry: report Warren: Sanders said a woman could not win the White House MORE — appear most likely to take the top spots in the Feb. 3 caucuses. But Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy Jean KlobucharPoll: Biden leads Democratic field nationally after Sanders takes top spot in Iowa poll Biden found leading in Iowa by Monmouth poll Sanders: Releasing list of Supreme Court picks ‘not a bad idea’ MORE (D-Minn.) is also banking on a strong finish in Iowa to buoy her presidential prospects.

Those five candidates, along with billionaire philanthropist Tom SteyerTom Fahr SteyerSanders: Releasing list of Supreme Court picks ‘not a bad idea’ It’s time for the Democratic candidates to talk more about national security Buttigieg picks up Iowa congressman’s endorsement ahead of caucuses MORE, will make up the debate roster on Tuesday.

Here are five things to watch as the candidates take the stage in Des Moines:

1. Will Sanders take heat?

Sanders has proven himself to be one of the most durable candidates in the Democratic primary field. But after a Des Moines Register–CNN poll released on Friday showed him taking the lead in Iowa, with 20 percent support among likely Democratic caucusgoers, Tuesday’s debate will be the first in which Sanders is the front-runner.

So far, his top rivals have largely avoided direct confrontations with the progressive firebrand, aware of his deep support among the Democratic Party’s activist factions. Now that he’s polling at the top of the pack, however, he could see an onslaught of criticism when he takes the stage in Des Moines.

He may also face questions about a CNN report detailing allegations that Sanders told Warren during a private meeting in 2018 that he did not believe a woman could win the White House. Sanders denied that allegation in a lengthy statement to the news network. But it could provide fodder for his rivals.

2. Will the Sanders-Warren feud come to a head?

Sanders and Warren played nice over the course of 2019, seeing one another as a key ally in the Senate and on the campaign trail, where they both occupy the progressive lane.

But that nonaggression pact fractured this week after Politico reported that Sanders’s campaign had begun quietly directing volunteers to attack Warren as a candidate of the elite. In response to the news, Warren told reporters on Sunday that she was “disappointed to hear that Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me.” Sanders denied any responsibility in the matter.

Tensions escalated further on Monday after CNN reported that, during a private meeting in December 2018, Sanders told Warren that he did not believe a woman could win the presidency. He denied that allegation, but Warren confirmed the report in a statement, recalling how she told Sanders that she “thought a woman could win.”

“He disagreed,” Warren said.

All that sets the stage for a potentially explosive confrontation on Tuesday night.

3. Can the moderates make their case?

With the release of the Des Moines Register poll on Friday, the Democratic primary field’s moderate contenders appear to be in an uneasy position. Buttigieg, who led the pack in Iowa in a Register poll from November, fell 9 points into third place, while Biden and Klobuchar remained stagnant at 15 percent and 6 percent support, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sanders ticked up 5 points into first place, while Warren gained 1 point, maintaining her No. 2 standing in Iowa.

The three moderates on the debate stage will be under pressure to stand out on Tuesday night and leave a mark on voters before the caucuses on Feb. 3. They could also use the forum to more aggressively attack the leading progressives as too divisive or unrealistic in their sweeping policy proposals.

4. Does Biden’s Iraq War vote come under scrutiny?

The soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran that emerged following the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this month in an American drone strike has thrust the issues of foreign policy and U.S. military involvement in the Middle East back into the spotlight.

Biden is the only presidential candidate who voted in favor of a 2002 measure authorizing the use of military force in Iraq — a vote that is now seen in as a liability among key elements of the Democratic Party.

Sanders, in particular, has hammered Biden over the 2002 vote, accusing him of helping lead the U.S. into a protracted, aimless and expensive military campaign. And it remains possible, if not likely, that Biden will face a barrage of criticism when he takes the stage on Tuesday.

Biden has since called that vote a “mistake.” But his rivals for the Democratic nomination — Sanders, in particular — see his record as an easy target that could weaken the longtime front-runner.

5. Can Buttigieg mount a comeback?

A couple of months ago, Buttigieg appeared to be the candidate to beat in Iowa. Now, with the caucuses just three weeks away, his chances appear somewhat less certain, and the debate will be a chance for him to climb back to the top.

But he still faces some risks. His fundraising practices have been a target of criticism at past debates, including in last month’s forum in Los Angeles, when Warren excoriated him for holding a high-dollar fundraising event in a “wine cave” in California.

And issues surrounding race relations with the African American community in his hometown of South Bend, where he was mayor for eight years, has proven to be a sore spot for Buttigieg on the campaign trail.

Still, Buttigieg has shown himself to be resilient in the race — he worked his way into the top-tier of candidates after entering the primary contest last year as a virtual unknown outside Democratic political circles — and whether he can kick off a new surge on Tuesday is a central question heading into the debate.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/478170-five-things-to-watch-in-the-first-democratic-debate-of-2020