Watch Chris Christie Play the Enforcer in His Latest Ad
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign has adopted “Telling It Like It Is” as its slogan and, according to his latest national television ad, he wants to tell voters just how scary the world is today.
The 30-second spot, titled “Law Enforcer,” opens with Christie decrying “lawlessness in America and around the world under Barack Obama.”
He rattles off a series of threats, speaking over dramatic music cues and flashing images.
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“Sanctuary cities engulfing Americans in crime. Drugs running rampant and destroying lives. ISIS beheading Christians. Iranian radicals with nuclear weapons,” he says ominously.
“Now, Hillary Clinton thinks the law doesn't apply to her,” Christie asks as images of a computer server appear on screen. “Really?”
The former U.S. attorney argues that the country needs a “strong law enforcer as president, someone who says what he means and means what he says.”
The doom and gloom ad, featuring a score more typical of a television drama than a presidential ad, is running on the Fox News Channel and marks Christie’s latest attempt to spark interest in his White House bid.
The two-term governor has consistently lost support in opinion polls since the inaugural GOP presidential debate, while political outsiders like Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina have surged.
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Last week a CNN/ORC survey put Christie in 11th place, garnering only three percent support among GOP voters.
If the trend continues, Christie could lose his spot on the main stage at the CNN/Reagan Library debate on September 16 and relegated to the second-tier.
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Chart of the Day: Long Way to Go on Coronavirus Testing
The White House on Friday unveiled plans for a new effort to ramp up testing for Covid-19, which experts say is an essential part of limiting the spread of the virus. This chart from Vox gives a sense of just how far the U.S. has to go to catch up to other countries that are dealing with the pandemic, including South Korea, the leading virus screener with 3,692 tests per million people. The U.S., by comparison, has done about 23 tests per million people as of March 12.
After Spending $2 Billion, Air Force Bails Out on Planned Upgrades of B-2 Bombers
The Air Force has scrapped a planned upgrade of its B-2 stealth bomber fleet — even after spending $2 billion on the effort — because defense contractor Northrup Grumman didn’t have the necessary software expertise to complete the project on time and on budget, Bloomberg’s Anthony Capaccio reports, citing the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer.
Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters that the nearly $2 billion that had already been spent on the program wasn’t wasted because “we are still going to get upgraded electronic displays.”
Big Hurdle for Sanders’ Plan to Cancel Student Debt
Bernie Sanders wants to eliminate $1.6 trillion in student debt, to be paid for by a tax on financial transactions, but doing so won’t be easy, says Josh Mitchell of The Wall Street Journal.
The main problem for Sanders is that most Americans don’t support the plan, with 57% of respondents in a poll last fall saying they oppose the idea of canceling all student debt. And the politics are particularly thorny for Sanders as he prepares for a likely general election run, Mitchell says: “Among the strongest opponents are groups Democrats hope to peel away from President Trump: Rust Belt voters, independents, whites, men and voters in rural areas.”
Number of the Day: $7 Million
That’s how much Michael Bloomberg is spending per day in his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination, according to new monthly filings with the Federal Election Commission. “In January alone, Bloomberg dropped more than $220 million on his free-spending presidential campaign,” The Hill says. “That breaks down to about $7.1 million a day, $300,000 an hour or $5,000 per minute.”