WASHINGTON — On Monday, President Biden meets with German Chancellor Scholz at White House. They hold a joint news conference. Russia already has a large force that can invade Ukraine. … Stacey Abrams deleted a tweet showing her looking unmaskless among masked schoolchildren in Atlanta. … Joe Manchin endorses Lisa Murkowski. … Meet the 2022 boogeymen and boogeywomen.
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First, NBC’s Dasha burns interviewed four Pennsylvania Republicans who are running for the Senate seat that is being vacated in retirement by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa).
Here’s what they said in separate interviews about whether Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
Mehmet Oz, Celebrity Doctor: “Well, it’s obvious he is the president. It’s obvious by the many mistakes we’ve made.
David McCormick, a former hedge fund executive: “Well, listen. It’s that you can’t travel across Pennsylvania without hearing repeatedly about the wide-ranging irregularities in our election. The three-day extension of voting, the inability to secure ballot boxes and the lack of oversight at many precincts in Philadelphia have all contributed to the fact that the majority of Pennsylvania Republican voters do not believe the outcome of the election. It’s an awful thing. This is a serious problem if you are someone who has served in the military with the sole purpose of ensuring that democracy thrives. We have to fix this and the best way to do that is to elect a great senator in 2022. This ensures that 2024 will be a fair election.
2018 Lt. Gov. Nominee Jeff Bartos: I have been asked this question many, many times in the past year. As you probably know I have always said that I believe Joe Biden won Pennsylvania and won the presidency. There were definitely problems in Pennsylvania.
Kathy Barnette, Conservative political commentator: “I believe there is a number questions and I believe that unfortunately our nation has not allowed these voices to feel uncomfortable about the events.”
Burns’ photo of the GOP’s Pennsylvania Senate race will air on MSNBC and NBC News Now.
Data Download: The number for the day is… 70%
This is how much fighting force Russia has assembled to invade Ukraine, an American official with direct knowledge estimated. According to the official, an invasion could result in 50,000 civilian deaths (dead or injured) and 5 million refugees.
This estimate is made as things remain tense at the border between the countries, with Jake Sullivan White House National Security Advisor telling “Meet the Press Sunday” that “an invasion in Ukraine could happen at anytime.”
Sullivan continued to warn America and its allies that they are ready in case of invasion. He also stated that President Biden had spoken out to the fact that a Russian tank or troop crosses the border and it is an invasion.
You need to be familiar with the following numbers:
3 The number of medals that the U.S. Olympic Team won in the Winter Olympics. Russia is currently leading with six medals.
14 Number of former and current staff members at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have expressed concerns about a toxic work environment. This is according to a Politico report based on an internal investigation.
$100 Million: This is the amount that Spotify Chief Executive Daniel Ek pledged to spend on content from ” historically excluded groups“, as he defends the streaming platform in light of criticisms for hosting Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast.
Roundup of the midterm
Republicans are expected to gain in November. However, NBC’s Peter Nicholas & Allen Smith report that the RNC meeting was and the party split over whether it should focus on President Donald Trump’s grievances regarding the 2020 election or the upcoming Midterms. Smith also explains how this divide is being played on the battlefields.
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams was criticized by her GOP opponents for her now-deleted Tweet that featured a photo of Abrams unmasked with masked children. This report was NBC’s Blayne Alex and Charlie Gile. Gov. Cody Hall, Brian Kemp’s spokesperson, said that he expected to see the photo in campaign ads. Kemp’s primary challenger and former Senator David Perdue released a video to highlight the photo. An Abrams campaign aide confirmed that Abrams wore a mask at the event. He removed it temporarily to take the photo, and then he spoke to make his point.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), crossed party lines in support of Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski for reelection. This is not his first endorsement. In 2019, he endorsed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
The members of the Pennsylvania GOP state commission declined endorsement any candidate in the crowded Senate and governor’s races.
In case you didn’t see it, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state’s new legislative and congressional maps were invalid. The maps can be redrawn by state legislators until February 18, 2018.
And Val Arkoosh (Democrat), chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners ended her campaign to fill Pennsylvania’s Senate seat. Arkoosh was not the only prominent woman running for the Democratic nomination.
Ad watch: Meet the Boogeymen (and the Boogeywomen).
A new advertisement by Tim James, R.Ala., targets quite a few “boogeymen”, rather than his opponents. The commercial has been aired more than 150 times in Alabama since Friday. James promises to “fight back” against looting, riots and LGBTQ norms. He also vows to cancel culture.
“If they don’t stand up to you, you will be fired from your job.” It’s too late. “This may be our last chance at getting it right,” James, a former governor’s son and businessman, said. Fob James says it in the ad.
In political ads, it has become a common practice to call out “boogeymen” instead of one’s opponent. A NBC News analysis showed that 45 of the 129 ads we monitored featured a “boogeyman” in January. Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, and China were also near the top.
We will continue to track the top boogeymen during the election cycle, and we’ll keep you updated each month with our findings.
ICYMI: What other happenings around the world
According to the New York Times, Jill Biden, first lady, will acknowledge Monday that her signature policy of two years of community college for free, ” not longer a part of the Build Back better negotiations.”
New Jersey has dropped its mandate to schools.
A few Georgia Republicans are trying to defeat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in primary.
President Biden called Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to offer support amid criticisms about his low profile. This has been simmering since.
