OFF TO THE RACES: Polling the swing states
A new Quinnipiac poll finds Florida Sen. Marco Rubio runs best against Hillary Clinton in the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell speaks with some of the campaigns in danger of losing a spot on the debate stage to Donald Trump.
Democrats beware: The Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson are working closer than ever, the Huffington Post reports.
Pope Francis’ remarks on climate change put the five Catholics in the potential GOP field in an awkward position, the New York Times reports.
BUSH: His team announced a number of Iowa endorsements ahead of his first trip to the Hawkeye State as a declared candidate. But the Associated Press reports he is essentially starting from scratch in the state.
The Wall Street Journal takes an in-depth look at the Florida connections Bush used to help facilitate his rise in the state.
And last night he slow jammed the news with Jimmy Fallon.
CLINTON: She campaigns in South Carolina today where she is expected to propose a new tax credit for businesses that hire and train apprentices, the Wall Street Journal reports.
FIORINA: And in today’s example of how nuanced elections laws have become, the Wall Street Journal reports that the FEC rejected a pro-Fiorina super PAC called “Carly for America.” So the name was changed to “Conservative, Authentic, Responsive Leadership for You and America,” which will go by the acronym CARLY for America.
SANDERS: A Suffolk University poll released yesterday found the Vermont senator closing in on Clinton in New Hampshire.
TRUMP: Neil Young has a message for Donald Trump: Quit using “Rockin’ in The Free World.”
WALKER: With a budget battle raging at home, Scott Walker has gone abroad -- sometimes at taxpayer expense, the Washington Post reports.
And around the country…
WISCONSIN: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is hitting GOP Sen. Ron Johnson for not yet signing his Democratic opponent Russ Feingold’s pledge to limit outside money in the Wisconsin Senate race.
Per a DSCC release: “Ron Johnson is refusing to give a clear answer regarding Russ Feingold's proposed ‘Badger Pledge’ to keep shadowy, outside money from dominating Wisconsin's Senate race. But that's no surprise considering Ron Johnson already has a shady campaign finance issue that he's refused to come clean about for the last several years.”
CONGRESS: Issa gets booted from Benghazi deposition
Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal told the House Select Committee on Benghazi Tuesday that he did not author or know the source of any of the Libya intelligence he passed to Clinton when she served as Secretary of State, Politico reports.
Rep. Darrell Issa was kicked out after trying to crash the deposition. And NBC’s Frank Thorp caught it on Vine.
The Wall Street Journal reports the House on Tuesday “voted to extend the window for reconsidering a key part of trade legislation that Democrats defeated on Friday, leaving President Obama’s trade agenda in limbo.”
Per the New York Times: “Republicans who have been hoping that the Supreme Court will upend President Obama’s health care law are now confronting an urgent and uncomfortable question: What if they win?”
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Tamron Hall speaks with NBC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pete Williams about Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem who the FBI says helped orchestrate a shootout on an anti-Islam event in Texas and had aspirations to attack the Super Bowl, NBC News Reporter Charles Hadlock on Tropical Storm Bill impacting Texas, Washington Post Sports Writer Cindy Boren about the St. Louis Cardinals who are under FBI Investigation for an alleged hack of Houston Astros team system, and Contributor to The Daily Beast Robert Silverman about the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Finals.
*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell will interview Rep. James Clyburn, Fmr. Gov. John Sununu, Cameroon People’s Party Pres. Kah Walla, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Karen Tumulty, the New York Times’ Jeremy Peters and NBC’s Bob Costas, Jacob Rascon and Craig Melvin.