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Hill staffers secretly worked on Trump's immigration order — Senior staffers on the House Judiciary Committee helped Donald Trump's top aides draft the executive order curbing immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, but the Republican committee chairman and party leadership were not informed …
Discussion:
Vox, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Washington Post, The Week, Instapundit, Daily Kos, RedState and Associated Press
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Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Who Defied Him — WASHINGTON — President Trump fired his acting attorney general on Monday night, removing her as the nation's top law enforcement officer after she defiantly refused to defend his executive order closing the nation's borders to refugees …
Discussion:
Political Wire, ABC News, Above the Law, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Taylor Marsh, Boing Boing, RedState, alan.com, WTKR-TV, Althouse, New Urban Legends, Axios and The Atlantic


Trump has fired the acting attorney general who ordered Justice Dept. not to defend president's travel ban — President Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night, after Yates ordered Justice Department lawyers Monday not to defend his immigration order temporarily banning entry …


I Smell Fake News — Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, an Obama holdover, thrills her future employers by refusing to put the weight of the DoJ behind Trump's travel ban. Even the Times admits this gesture is somewhat symbolic since she is on her way out and Jeff Sessions is on his way in, but they include this odd detail:
Discussion:
Associated Press and CBS Philly


First on CNN: Justice Dept. will not defend executive order on travel restrictions — Federal lawsuit filed against travel ban — Washington (CNN)The acting Attorney General Sally Yates has told Justice Department lawyers not to make legal arguments defending President Donald Trump's executive order …


Under fire, Trump weighs new changes to refugee ban — Republican sources tell us that the Department of Homeland Security may issue “implementation guidance” that would allow for softening, and even policy changes, to President Trump's travel restrictions on migrants.
Discussion:
alan.com, Political Wire, Talking Points Memo, The Week, The Hill and Raw Story


Why Yates Had to Go — It is a very simple proposition. Our Constitution vests all executive power — not some of it, all of it — in the president of the United States. Executive-branch officials do not have their own power. They are delegated by the president to execute his power.

Trump's Talk About Muslims Led Acting Attorney General to Defy Ban — Repeated comments from President Trump and his advisers about barring Muslims from entering the United States were at the heart of the decision on Monday by the acting attorney general, Sally Q. Yates …
Discussion:
The Crime Report, Lawfare, Washington Post, Vox, twitchy.com, The Week, TheBlaze and Talking Points Memo

Quick Thoughts On Sally Yates' Unpersuasive Statement
Discussion:
Politico, The Atlantic, Hot Air, Just Security, Daily Kos, BuzzFeed, Washington State and The Federalist

Trump Fires Acting Attorney General for Defying Order on Muslims
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After eight long years …, The Guardian and CBS Pittsburgh

White House aides who wrote Trump's travel ban see it as just the start
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Mother Jones

Letter From Sally Yates
Discussion:
Political Insider blog, Townhall.com, Politicus USA, Hit & Run, Foreign Policy and AOL

Angry Republicans lash out at Trump for not consulting them on travel ban
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Balloon Juice

Trump Fires Justice Dept. Head Over Executive Order Defiance
Discussion:
ABC News, WTOP, Associated Press and The Last Tradition

Acting attorney general orders Justice Department attorneys not to defend immigration executive order [UPDATED]
Discussion:
Josh Blackman's Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Raw Story, Associated Press, twitchy.com, Fox News Insider, The Week, TheBlaze and Hot Air

Trump fires acting attorney general: “betrayed”
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Gateway Pundit

Trump fires acting attorney general after she defies him on immigration ban
Discussion:
AOL and The Gateway Pundit

Trump fires defiant acting attorney general
Discussion:
ABC News, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Times of Israel, Deadline, CBS Philly and Mediaite


Democrats consider backing off big battle over Trump's Supreme Court pick — Washington (CNN)Senate Democrats are weighing whether to avoid an all-out war to block President Donald Trump's upcoming Supreme Court pick, instead considering delaying that battle for a future nomination …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Daily Kos
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What's next? — You have to wonder what comes next …
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News and The Guardian


Obama's Protections for L.G.B.T. Workers Will Remain Under Trump — WASHINGTON — The White House said on Monday that President Trump would leave in place a 2014 Obama administration order that created new workplace protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Discussion:
Vox, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice and Joe.My.God.
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White House says LGBT protections for federal workers will remain
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Blade, New York's PIX11, LGBTQ Nation and The White House

Sources: Trump executive order allowing anti-LGBTQ discrimination is coming soon
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Joe.My.God.

Statement from Secretary Kelly on the President's Appointment of Thomas D. Homan as Acting ICE Director — WASHINGTON - Today, the president appointed Mr. Thomas D. Homan acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). — Since 2013, Mr. Homan has served …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hullabaloo, AOL, IJR and The Week
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The Republican Fausts — Many Republican members of Congress have made a Faustian bargain with Donald Trump. They don't particularly admire him as a man, they don't trust him as an administrator, they don't agree with him on major issues, but they respect the grip he has on their voters …
Discussion:
bradford-delong.com, Discourse.net and The Week


Can Jared and Ivanka Outrun Donald Trump's Scandals? — Less than a fortnight into his new post, Kushner appears unable to control his father-in-law—and is “furious” that his efforts are being undermined. — On Friday afternoon, Donald Trump descended upon the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes flanked …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story, Slate and Balloon Juice


President Bannon? — Plenty of presidents have had prominent political advisers, and some of those advisers have been suspected of quietly setting policy behind the scenes (recall Karl Rove or, if your memory stretches back far enough, Dick Morris). But we've never witnessed a political aide move …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Hot Air, Washington Post, AOL, The Daily Caller, The Week and The Mahablog
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Steve Bannon Is Making Sure There's No White House Paper Trail, Says Intel Source
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, New York Post and Los Angeles Times


Team Hillary blames Obama more than Putin — The worst-kept secret inside Democratic circles is how bitter Hillary Clinton's team is at President Obama over her election loss. We have heard from numerous, anguished people in Clinton-land blaming Obama — more than Putin, FBI Director James Comey or …
Discussion:
NBC News and The Daily Caller


Suspect in Quebec Mosque Attack Quickly Depicted as a Moroccan Muslim. He's a White Nationalist. — A mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque last night left six people dead and eight wounded. The targeted mosque, the Cultural Islamic Center of Quebec, was the same one at which a severed pig's head was left during Ramadan last June.
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How to Build an Autocracy — It's 2021, and President Donald Trump will shortly be sworn in for his second term. The 45th president has visibly aged over the past four years. He rests heavily on his daughter Ivanka's arm during his infrequent public appearances.

White House aide Epshteyn wrote controversial Holocaust memorial statement — The White House's controversial statement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day—which excluded any mention of Jews—was written by Trump aide Boris Epshteyn, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency and The Times of Israel
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Homeland Security Chief and White House Clash — Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has clashed with the White House over staffing and other decisions, people familiar with the matter say, leaving DHS without a No. 2 during a chaotic weekend at the nation's airports.
Discussion:
RedState, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire