Top Items:
CBS News:
Sources say Trump's CIA visit made relations with intel community worse — U.S. government sources tell CBS News that there is a sense of unease in the intelligence community after President Trump's visit to CIA headquarters on Saturday. — An official said the visit …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Balloon Juice, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Shareblue, The Slot, Mother Jones, Raw Story, AOL, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, Politicus USA, Little Green Footballs, Crooked Timber, Salon, CNN, Mediaite, Eschaton, Shakesville, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Political Wire and Washington Post
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Henry Farrell / Washington Post:
This is how Donald Trump engineers applause — When Donald Trump visited the CIA over the weekend to make a speech, many commentators noted that his audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically. Now, according to CBS News, intelligence sources are pushing back:
Discussion:
CBS News, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Mother Jones and Politicus USA
Lisa Hagen / The Hill:
Spicer: ‘Negative’ Trump coverage is ‘demoralizing’ — White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday pushed back at what he said was negative coverage of the Trump White House, describing the media narrative as “demoralizing.” — “It's not just about a crowd size.
Discussion:
Politico
RELATED:
Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
The first days inside Trump's White House: Fury, tumult and a reboot — President Trump had just returned to the White House on Saturday from his final inauguration event, a tranquil interfaith prayer service, when the flashes of anger began to build. — Trump turned on the television …
Discussion:
ABC News and Political Wire
Louis Nelson / Politico:
White House press briefings to go virtual
White House press briefings to go virtual
Discussion:
Political Wire and ABC News
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Trump repeats debunked voter fraud claim at meeting with Hill leaders — In his first meeting with congressional leaders of both parties since taking office, President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated a debunked claim that he only lost the national popular vote because of widespread voter fraud.
Discussion:
Mediaite and Business Insider
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting With Lawmakers — WASHINGTON — President Trump used his first official meeting with congressional leaders on Monday to falsely claim that millions of unauthorized immigrants had robbed him of a popular vote majority, a return to his obsession …
Discussion:
Political Wire and The Verge
Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Without evidence, Trump tells lawmakers 3 million to 5 million illegal ballots cost him the popular vote — Days after being sworn in, President Trump insisted to congressional leaders invited to a reception at the White House that he would have won the popular vote had it not been for millions …
Discussion:
Axios
Jenna Lifhits / Weekly Standard:
Republicans Rethinking Relationship with Schumer after Pompeo Incident — Burr on Schumer: “He lied.” — Republican leadership is rethinking its relationship with Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer after Schumer betrayed a promise to allow a vote last Friday on President Donald Trump's pick …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, RedState and Fox News Insider
RELATED:
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Republicans: Schumer Broke His Word on Pompeo Confirmation
Republicans: Schumer Broke His Word on Pompeo Confirmation
Discussion:
RedState, Hot Air, The Daily Signal, Booman Tribune, BizPac Review, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Power Line, Instapundit and New York Times
Greg Miller / Washington Post:
Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as CIA director
Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as CIA director
Discussion:
Reuters, Hit & Run, The Week and Washington Free Beacon
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
‘Saturday Night Live’ Writer Katie Rich Suspended Over Barron Trump Tweet, Issues Apology — Katie Rich, writer for Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, who sparked a backlash with a tweet targeting President Donald Trump's 10-year-old son Barron, is no longer working on NBC's veteran late-night sketch comedy show.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Gothamist, The Daily Caller, KFOR-TV, Politico, New York Times, AOL, FOX News Radio, CBS Philly, TMZ.com, Althouse and TheBlaze
RELATED:
Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:
Katie Rich of ‘S.N.L.’ Is Suspended for Tweet Mocking Barron Trump
Katie Rich of ‘S.N.L.’ Is Suspended for Tweet Mocking Barron Trump
Discussion:
RedState, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, Mashable, The Atlantic, Sputnik International and twitchy.com
Sasha Savitsky / Fox News:
NBC won't comment on ‘SNL’ writer's controversial Barron Trump tweet
NBC won't comment on ‘SNL’ writer's controversial Barron Trump tweet
Discussion:
IJR, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, Instapundit and New York Post
Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
President Donald Trump Signs Executive Order to Defund International Planned Parenthood — President Donald Trump today signed an executive order to defund International Planned Parenthood. — Most pro-life Americans are anxiously awaiting Congress to pass a bill to defund the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
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CNN:
TPP withdrawal Trump's first executive action Monday, sources say
TPP withdrawal Trump's first executive action Monday, sources say
Discussion:
ABC News, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Common Dreams, CNBC, New York Magazine, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, Hot Air, Althouse and Talking Points Memo
Sean Langille / Washington Examiner:
Limo torched in DC protests belongs to Muslim immigrant, may cost $70,000 in damages — The limousine that was set on fire during the anti-Trump anarchist protest in downtown Washington on Inauguration Day is owned by a Muslim immigrant who says the damage could cost his company $70,000.
Discussion:
MichelleMalkin.com and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times:
Column U.S. judge finds that Aetna misled the public about its reasons for quitting Obamacare — Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini groused about the Department of Justice lawsuit blocking the company's merger with Humana in an interview this summer on Aetna's website. (Aetna)
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Scott / Dippin' Dots:
An Open Letter to Sean Spicer from Dippin' Dots CEO Scott Fischer — We understand that ice cream is a serious matter. And running out of your favorite flavor can feel like a national emergency! We've seen your tweets and would like to be friends rather than foes. After all, we believe in connecting the dots.
Discussion:
WCMH-TV, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, AOL, NPR, Mediaite, The Week and Politico
Emily Peck / The Huffington Post:
New York Times Apologizes For Much-Ridiculed Story About Fathers — “We blew it,” said Metro editor Wendell Jamieson. — The reporter and editor responsible for publishing a much-derided New York Times story about fathers are sorry for running the article, they told The Huffington Post Monday morning.
Discussion:
New York Times and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Joe Davidson / Washington Post:
Trump's federal hiring freeze draws immediate fire from unions — Federal labor leaders were ready when President Trump froze government hiring Monday. It was a campaign promise they criticized before the election and did so again shortly after he made good on the pledge.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Hit & Run, Business Insider, The Geller Report, RedState and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
Revenge of the bureaucrats — President Donald Trump is setting …
Revenge of the bureaucrats — President Donald Trump is setting …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Mike Allen / Axios:
The 1 thing: Trump's first acts — We have been leaked a list of the top executive order priorities for the Trump administration. The Trump folks wanted to get these done immediately, but our Jonathan Swan is told the process is proving to be a little slower than some might have whimsically thought.
Discussion:
RedState, New York Magazine, The Slot, The Daily Caller, ewg.org and BillMoyers.com
Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Trump names his Inauguration Day a ‘National Day of Patriotic Devotion’ — President Trump has officially declared the day of his inauguration a national day of patriotism. — Trump's inaugural address on Friday frequently referred to patriotism as the salve that would heal the country's divisions.
Discussion:
Federal Register, CNBC, New Urban Legends, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money and BizPac Review
The Huffington Post:
Of Course The CIA Gave Trump Standing Ovations. He Never Let Them Sit. — President Trump is bragging about his standing ovations, but he never asked CIA employees to take their seats. — S.V. Date — WASHINGTON - While President Donald Trump brags about how hundreds of CIA employees gave …
I believe the president is entitled to:
I believe the president is entitled to significant deference when it comes to his choices for the cabinet. I also believe given the uncertainty surrounding the future direction of our foreign policy that a higher degree of scrutiny is justified in evaluating whoever is nominated to serve as secretary of state.
Tyler Cowen / Bloomberg:
Why Trump's Staff Is Lying — One of the most striking features of the early Trump administration has been its political uses of lying. The big weekend story was the obviously false claim of Donald Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, that Trump pulled in the largest inauguration crowds in American history.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Monthly and New York Times
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
FBI reviewed Flynn's calls with Russian ambassador but found nothing illicit — The FBI in late December reviewed intercepts of communications between the Russian ambassador to the United States and retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn — national security adviser to then-President-elect Trump …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
The Long March Ahead For Democrats — Saturday's Women's Marches, which rebuked President Trump on the day after his inauguration, probably drew more than 3 million participants between hundreds of locations across the United States, making them among the largest mass protests in American history.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Vox, Hullabaloo, The Atlantic, NYR Daily, DCist, The Verge and The Week