January 1, Biden’s Wild Week In Iowa

This Day in History | 1776

 General George Washington reaches the banks of the Delaware River at a low point for the American Patriots during the Revolutionary War.

Biden: I Don’t Need Obama’s Endorsement 

(Politico) – Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday said he didn’t need Barack Obama’s endorsement in the Democratic primary, even if the field were down to three people.

He also scoffed at the notion that Sen. Elizabeth Warren is building enthusiasm and accused Mayor Pete Buttigieg of stealing his plans.

Biden reiterated that he asked Obama not to endorse him, and he stuck by that stance even when asked whether he’d want Obama’s backing if the field narrowed to three people.

“No, because everyone knows I’m close with him,” Biden said. “I don’t need an Obama endorsement.”

Read more about Biden’s “No Malarkey” tour here

Newark Sues NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for Sending Homeless to New Jersey

(The Star-Ledger) – Newark is taking New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to court to stop a controversial program that sends homeless families to live in often-uninhabitable conditions in New Jersey, new court records show.

The special one-time assistance program relocates NYC homeless families across the country with a full year’s worth of rent paid up front. More than 2,200 families have been placed in 62 New Jersey towns with 1,198 in Newark alone.

But local officials say some of these families end up in decrepit conditions — with no heat, hot water, collapsed ceilings or mice infestations.

Read more about De Blasio’s plan export NYC’s homeless problem  here

FBI Says Russian FaceApp Is ‘Potential Counterintelligence Threat’

(Reuters) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation considers any mobile app developed in Russia to be a “potential counterintelligence threat,” it said on Monday, responding to a U.S. lawmaker’s query about face-editing photo app FaceApp.

The viral smartphone app saw a surge in popularity this year due to a filter that ages photos of users’ faces.

Concerns about its Russian provenance prompted the Democratic National Committee to warn the party’s 2020 presidential candidates against using it, as well as a call from Democratic U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer for the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission to conduct national security reviews.

There is no evidence that FaceApp provides user data to the Russian government. But the FBI, in a letter responding to Schumer, said Moscow’s ability to access communications directly via internet service providers makes any app built there risky.

Read more about the threat from Reuters here

America Braces for French Fry Shortage

(Bloomberg) – Potato processors are rushing to buy supplies and ship them across North America in order to keep French fries on the menu after cold, wet weather damaged crops in key producers in the U.S. and Canada.

Cool conditions started to hit growing regions in October, lashing potatoes with frost. Farmers in Alberta and Idaho were able to dig up some damaged crops for storage. But growers in Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota received snow and rain, forcing them to abandon some supplies in fields.

As the wild weather hurt crops, an increase in fry-processing capacity in Canada has boosted demand. The combination will lead to tight supplies, and it’s likely that potato prices could climb this year across North America, Stephen Nicholson, a senior grains and oilseeds analyst at Rabobank, said in a phone interview. International costs may also rise as the U.S. won’t be able to export as much.

Read more about the fry shortage here