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:
Washington Post, Mother Jones, Shareblue, Politicus USA, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, The Moderate Voice, CNN, The Slot, Mediaite, Crooked Timber, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, Shakesville, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Eschaton and Political Wire
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.
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Politico
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Louis Nelson / Politico:
White House press briefings to go virtual — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that beginning later this week, he will take questions at his daily press briefing via Skype from reporters based outside of Washington. — Spicer said four of the so-called “Skype seats” …
Discussion:
ABC News and Political Wire
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Sean Spicer's defense of himself and explanation of Donald Trump's sensitivity, annotated
Sean Spicer's defense of himself and explanation of Donald Trump's sensitivity, annotated
Discussion:
New Urban Legends, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Kos and PressThink
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.
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Gothamist, FOX News Radio, CBS Philly, New York Times, AOL, The Daily Caller, Althouse, TheBlaze and TMZ.com
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Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:
Katie Rich of ‘S.N.L.’ Is Suspended for Tweet Mocking Barron Trump — Katie Rich, a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” has been suspended from her position at that show following a widely criticized post she made Friday on her personal Twitter account in which she mocked Barron Trump, the 10-year-old son of President Donald J. Trump.
Discussion:
RedState, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, 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 a “Saturday Night Live” writer's tweet that went after President Donald Trump's youngest son Barron. — Katie Rich said Friday in a now-deleted tweet that Barron Trump “will be this country's first homeschool shooter.”
Discussion:
IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Instapundit and New York Post
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:
RedState, Hit & Run, Business Insider, Common Dreams, The Geller Report and The Gateway Pundit
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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
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.
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)
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.
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Washington Post
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New York Times:
Rocky First Weekend for Trump Troubles Even His Top Aides
Rocky First Weekend for Trump Troubles Even His Top Aides
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, New York Magazine, Salon, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Common Dreams, Mediaite, NBC News, The Daily Caller, USA Today, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week, Politicus USA, CBS New York, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Gizmodo, Hit & Run, American Prospect, Raw Story, Eschaton and New Urban Legends
CNN:
TPP withdrawal Trump's first executive action Monday, sources say — (CNN)President Donald Trump's first executive action on Monday will be to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, two sources familiar with matter told CNN. — That withdrawal is consistent with campaign promises Trump made.
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Abandons Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama's Signature Trade Deal
Trump Abandons Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama's Signature Trade Deal
Discussion:
The Atlantic, JustOneMinute, American Greatness, Hit & Run and Techdirt
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:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, NPR, Washington Post, AOL, Mediaite and The Week
Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:
Trump reinstates ban on US funds promoting abortion overseas — President Trump on Monday morning signed an executive order blocking foreign aid or federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations that provide or “promote” abortions. — The order comes one day after the 44th anniversary …
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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
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, New Urban Legends, CNBC, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money and BizPac Review
Billy House / Bloomberg:
Trump Aide Says He Won't Release Taxes, Breaking Campaign Pledge — Tax issue was litigated by winning campaign, Conway says — ‘We the People’ petition has over 200,000 signatures — The White House now has no intention of releasing President Donald Trump's tax returns …
Discussion:
Politico, Shareblue, The Verge, Common Dreams, taxpolicycenter.org, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, The Week, NPR, Mashable and ABC News
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CNNMoney:
Trump Organization documents say he has resigned from more than 400 businesses — President Donald Trump says he has resigned from positions in hundreds of business entities, according to a document provided to CNN by the Trump Organization. — The text of the 19-page letter reads: “I …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, The Slot and The Week
John Nolte / Daily Wire:
Response to Ben Shapiro: Five Reasons I Don't Care If Donald Trump Lies — Let me first acknowledge Ben Shapiro's Sunday piece about those who excuse from Donald Trump what they never would from Barack Obama. On this particular subject, I have been very clear since the beginning, since The Donald stepped out onto the political stage.
Discussion:
RedState
Evan Osnos / New Yorker:
Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich — Some of the wealthiest people in America—in Silicon Valley, New York, and beyond—are getting ready for the crackup of civilization. — Steve Huffman, the thirty-three-year-old co-founder and C.E.O. of Reddit, which is valued at six hundred million dollars …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, AOL and Mashable
Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Hillary Clinton plots her next move — LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a series of private meetings and phone calls at their home in Chappaqua, in New York City and in Washington, Bill and Hillary Clinton are slowly starting to puzzle through their political future, according to over a dozen people …
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, The Week and Political Wire
Stephen Rodrick / Rolling Stone:
The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence — He's trampled on the rights of women, LGBTQ folks and the poor. Then there's the incompetence. Meet, quite possibly, the next president — During his time as Indiana governor, Mike Pence made a name for himself as virulently anti-abortion and anti-LGBT.
Discussion:
The Week
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Republicans: Schumer Broke His Word on Pompeo Confirmation — An inside look at the behind-the-scenes drama. — Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, testifies during his Senate Select Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen Building, January 12, 2017.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, BizPac Review, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Power Line, Instapundit and New York Times
Simón Rios / WBUR:
WBUR Poll: Republican Gov. Baker More Popular Than Democrat Sen. Warren 04:56 — Play — Over four years in office, Elizabeth Warren has staked her claim as the Senate's liberal lion. And many Massachusetts voters like it — 51 percent view her favorably.
Discussion:
Politico, RedState, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, Politicker, Mediaite, The Lid, Power Line, twitchy.com and TheBlaze
Judith Thurman / New Yorker:
Philip Roth E-Mails on Trump — In 2004, the writer published “The Plot Against America,” about an election that upends the country. Has it happened here? — In 2004, Philip Roth published “The Plot Against America.” The four main characters of the novel, which takes place between June …
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Hullabaloo and Axios
Scott Waldman / E&E News:
CDC quietly cancels long-planned climate summit — Want access to the top energy and environment news?
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Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Associated Press, The Slot, Washington Post, The Verge and Political Insider blog