This is the DNC’s Battleground Brief — a weekly wrap-up of Trump’s broken promises and everything you need to know across the path to 270. 

RING-RING! DNC PURCHASES TENS OF MILLIONS OF NEW CELL NUMBERS. This week, the DNC announced we’ve purchased high-quality cell phone numbers for every possible voter in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, which will be integrated into the DNC’s national voter file and add tens of millions of new numbers, enabling all campaigns – from the presidential to local state house races – to contact voters they previously might not have been able to reach. It also increases match rates for digital targeting, allowing candidates to connect with more voters online and offline. What you need to know about this exciting purchase:

• The cell phone numbers will be integrated into the DNC’s national voter file where they will complement other data sets.

• This cell phone acquisition is not a one-time purchase. Throughout the 2020 cycle, the DNC will receive regularly updated cell phone information. This ensures campaigns always have the most up-to-date information on how to reach voters via cell phone as people’s numbers change and new cell phone data becomes available.

• This is the first time the DNC has made a national cell phone buy at this stage of the presidential campaign cycle.

• This is a six-figure investment.

• The security of voter data is a top priority of the DNC. We work with all campaigns to ensure voter data is secure and to respect the privacy of voter data.

IOWA DEMOCRATS ARE READY FOR CAUCUS DAY.

Des Moines Register: Unprecedented Cybersecurity Measures Being Taken TO Safeguard Iowa Caucus Results.  “‘We take our responsibility to protect the integrity of our democratic process and secure Iowans’ votes very seriously,’ said Iowa party Chairman Troy Price. ‘We continue to work closely with security experts to prepare our systems and we are confident in the security systems we have in place.”

WHO: Iowa Democratic Party Making Sure Iowans of All Abilities Can Caucus. “The Iowa Democratic Party wants to make sure anyone who wants to participate in the Iowa caucuses can make it to a caucus site. Whether you need a sign language interpreter or need space for a wheelchair, party leaders are making sure Iowans with accessibility needs can still be a part of the process.”\

Associated Press: From Paris to Arizona, Iowans will caucus around the globe. “Nearly 1,300 Democrats temporarily away from home will still attend the crucial first-in-the-nation caucuses from Paris or Palm Springs or dozens of places in between. […]  ‘We believe our party is stronger when more voices are being heard, and that’s what this process is doing,’ said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price.”

Washington Post: DNC heads to Iowa to help protect caucuses from digital attacks and disinformation. “The Democratic National Committee’s top cybersecurity and disinformation experts will head to Iowa to help protect the caucuses against digital attacks from Russia and other U.S. adversaries. The team will run a rapid response operation out of the Iowa Democratic Party’s main operations center in Des Moines on caucus night, the DNC’s chief technology officer Nellwyn Thomas said in an interview.”

TRUMP AND HIS CRONIES TRIED TO COVER UP HIS BROKEN PROMISES — BUT WE HELD HIM ACCOUNTABLE ALL OVER THE MAP.

In Iowa: “‘Nothing Trump says Thursday can spin a presidency that has delivered lower crop prices and higher prescription drug costs,’ writes Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price in the Des Moines Register. ‘No amount of kicking, screaming, or tweeting can change a cemented legacy of failure — or voters’ desperation for something new. It’s no wonder Iowans are energized like never before ahead of Monday’s caucuses. We won’t tolerate a president who spews empty promises at us while catering to the demands of a few powerful interests. As we officially enter the 2020 presidential election, we’re ready to do something about it.’”

In New Jersey: “‘President Trump has spent the past three years breaking promises and taking our country backwards by embracing hate and division,’ said Governor Phil Murphy. ‘His failed record stands in stark contrast to what we’ve been able to accomplish here in New Jersey, and his presence is a reminder of how important it is that we continue working to make our economy deliver for the middle class, not just the wealthy and well-connected.’”

In Wisconsin: “Ben Wikler: ‘As a father of a student at an elementary school here in Madison, it breaks my heart to see Trump and his administration breaking their promises to our kids. Trump and his cronies are sabotaging public education because it’s not their children who go to public school.’”

In Michigan: “Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes…noted Trump’s promise to preserve manufacturing jobs, yet plants have shut down in Wayne County, Downriver and elsewhere in Michigan. The state lost 5,300 manufacturing jobs in 2019 alone, she said. ‘These broken promises by Donald Trump are yet more evidence that we cannot afford four more years of this ineffective president,’ said Barnes, who was joined Thursday by Macomb County Commissioner Robert Mijac, D-Sterling Heights, and longtime auto mechanic, Tony Durkacs of Redford Township.’”

In Florida: “Hours before Trump returns to Miami for a Republican National Committee (RNC) meeting, Florida Democrats held a news conference condemning Trump for his cruel policies to detain and deport immigrants fleeing brutal dictatorships. Statement from Rep. Donna Shalala on Trump’s Brutal Immigration Policies: ‘President Trump has demonstrated incredible hypocrisy when addressing the challenges facing the people of Cuba and Venezuela,’ said Rep. Shalala. ‘While he and his Republican allies claim to be friends of their long-suffering people, they consistently in turn their backs on them when they seek refuge in the United States. We cannot claim to be champions of democracy while punishing those fleeing oppression – it is wrong and un-American.’”

IN PA: DNC CHAIR TOM PEREZ AND BLACK LEADERS CALL OUT TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES ON HEALTH CARE. DNC Chair Tom Perez met with Black leaders in Philadelphia to call out Trump for working to gut health care for Pennsylvania families. Some highlights:

IN WISCONSIN: FARMERS DECRY TRUMP’S TRADE DEALS AS “TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.” Wisconsin Democrats and dairy farmers met to talk about the deadly impact Donald Trump’s dangerous policies have had on Wisconsin farmers and families. Highlights:

CBS 58: “‘Right now there’s a lot of uncertainty,’ Tina told reporters during a tour organized by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Our markets are volatile, milk prices up and down like a yo-yo, we’ve got issues with weather and everything else that goes with it and it’s always been that way, but more so recently.’”

Fox 11: “‘Donald Trump’s trade policies cannot undo the damage he brought to our community. He thought he could buy us off with bailouts and now thinks he can pull the wool over our eyes with these new trade deals, but it’s too little too late. We’re not going to forget how broke his promises to us. If he actually came out and spoke with us dairy farmers he’d know this isn’t going to get us over the hump,’ said dairy farmers, Tina and Duane Hinchley.”

NBC 15: “Cambridge dairy and crop farmer Duane Hinchley said the USMCA is ‘NAFTA all over again.’ ‘Everything’s up in chaos,’ Hinchley said. ‘And it’s kind of coming right back to being the same program it was. We’re not gaining (anything) out of it.’”

WKOW: “President Trump signed the revised North American Free Trade Agreement into law Wednesday following a key campaign promise, but for Duane and Tina Hinchley, the two-year-long negotiations impacted their business. ‘In 2017 we have the best year ever for exports with the commodities and now it’s three years later and were going the other way on the graph,’ said Duane Hinchley, a dairy farmer in Cambridge.”

MORE DEMOCRATS SLAM TRUMP THREATS AGAINST MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND SOCIAL SECURITY… After Trump told CNBC he’ll look at slashing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, Democrats across the battlegrounds pounced — calling him out for breaking his promise to the American people to protect these vital programs.

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS: “Let’s call this what it is: another cruel scheme Trump cooked up to pay for his tax scam by denying people health care. Floridians will have a clear choice this November: vote for the Democrats, who have a strong record of protecting and expanding affordable health care, or for Donald Trump, who has spent three years hell-bent on destroying affordable health care options for Floridians.” — Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo

ARIZONA DEMOCRATS: “Arizonans know all too well Donald Trump can’t be trusted to keep his promises – especially when it comes to protecting their hard-earned benefits. Nearly 1.3 million Arizonans with Medicare coverage would be drastically impacted by the Trump administration cuts and that’s just unacceptable. Arizonans can’t afford four more years of Trump’s attacks on Medicare and must hold him accountable this November.” — Arizona Democratic Party Spokesperson Matt Grodsky

OHIO DEMOCRATS TOURED SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE TO SLAM TRUMP FOR FAILING TO DELIVER ON HIS PROMISES ON HEALTH CARE. Ohio Democrats toured southern, making stops in Ironton, Chillicothe and Marietta, to call out Donald Trump’s broken promises on health care, as Ohio saw its uninsured rate jump in 2018 and the number of uninsured kids in the Buckeye State rose by 28 percent from 2016 to 2018. More here.

MUST READ THIS WEEK IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES: FLORIDA DEMOCRATS HIRE YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR TO WIN 2020.

**TRUMP’S TERRIBLE ECONOMIC HEADLINES**

NBC: Trump’s immigrant ‘wealth test’ hurts the economy and undermines the American dream

POLITICO: Federal deficit to top $1 trillion under Trump

Reuters: Companies Trump said would create thousands of jobs have failed to deliver

Forbes: Trump’s Wasteful Tax Cuts Lead To Continued Trillion Dollar Deficits In Expanding Economy

HUGE VICTORY FOR ARIZONANS: “DNC & DSCC on Ninth Circuit Ruling Arizona Law Violated Voting Rights Act. DNC Chair Tom Perez and DSCC Executive Director Scott Fairchild released the following statement after the Ninth Circuit ruled that Arizona Republicans’ HB 2023 violates the Voting Rights Act: ‘This is a victory for the people of Arizona and our democracy, and we’re proud to have worked with our partners at the Arizona Democratic Party to fight this important case. The court’s ruling will restore out-of-precinct voting and ballot collection for the 2020 election after finding that this Republican voter suppression effort was a discriminatory attack on voters of color, including Native American, Latinx, and African-American communities. As Democrats, our goal is to engage every eligible American voter as an active participant in our democracy by making it easier for people to vote, not harder. That means continuing to stand up against voter suppression tactics to create free, fair, and accessible elections that protect the fundamental right to vote, and we are committed to this fight.’”

MLIVE: Democrats add more staff in Michigan as presidential primary approaches. MLive reported on the DNC and Michigan Democrats’ first big investment of the 2020 cycle. Take a look:

• “The Democratic National Committee and Michigan Democratic Party are adding new staff to prepare for 2020 elections.”

• “The DNC investment is the first wave of spending in battleground states Democrats believe will be most competitive during the November general election, including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Arizona.”

• “Funds will be coordinated through Democratic parties in each state, according to the DNC, and are expected to double the number of field organizers, open new field offices in key counties and expand data operations. DNC officials said those tools will be turned over to the party’s eventual nominee for the general election.”

Make sure to follow the DNC’s War Room (@DNCWarRoom) to get real-time updates on Trump’s abuses of power and broken promises.

Happy Friday!

The DNC Comms Team