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US investigators corroborate some aspects of the Russia dossier — Washington (CNN)For the first time, US investigators say they have corroborated some of the communications detailed in a 35-page dossier compiled by a former British intelligence agent, multiple current and former US law enforcement and intelligence officials tell CNN.


Trump not planning to appeal travel ban ruling to Supreme Court — The Trump administration is not planning to appeal a temporary hold on the president's travel ban to the Supreme Court, a White House official said Friday. — But the White House said it will forge ahead on the broader battle …
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White House Rewriting Trump's Controversial Travel Ban Order: Sources — Donald Trump learning how things work 21:41 — Still regrouping from a federal appeals court's refusal to reinstate President Trump's controversial ban of nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries …
Discussion:
The Hill, BuzzFeed, Crain's Detroit Business, WAVY-TV, NBC News, The Atlantic, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Above the Law, PRI, CBS San Francisco, NPR, 6, MyNorthwest.com, TheBlaze, Talking Points Memo, WGN-TV, New York Times, Associated Press, CBS New York, Political Wire, IJR, Occupy Democrats, The Daily Caller, The Geller Report, ABC News, twitchy.com, Axios, FiveThirtyEight and Jamie Dupree


The one big hurdle to rewriting Trump's refugee ban so it holds up in court
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, New York Magazine and Patterico's Pontifications

A Flawed Restraining of a Flawed Order
Discussion:
RedState, Josh Blackman's Blog, Power Line and National Review


Russia Considers Returning Snowden to U.S. to ‘Curry Favor’ With Trump: Official — U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a “gift” to President Donald Trump — who has called the NSA leaker a “spy” and a “traitor” who deserves to be executed.


Federal agents conduct immigration enforcement raids in at least six states — U.S. immigration authorities made a series of arrests in at least half a dozen states across the country on Thursday and Friday, sweeping up an unknown number of undocumented immigrants, immigration lawyers and advocates said.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Hit & Run, KXAN-TV, Washington Monthly, The Nation, Occupy Democrats, KQED News, NPR and Corey Robin
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Trump brings up vote fraud again, this time in meeting with senators — President Donald Trump can't stop—won't stop—talking about the election. — On Thursday, during a meeting with 10 senators that was billed as a listening session about Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Week, alan.com, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Business Insider, Vox, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos and Republic Report
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Trump to Dems: ‘Pocahontas is now the face of your party’ — McConnell disagrees with Trump's voter fraud claim — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump taunted Democrats by telling them “Pocahontas is now the face of your party” — his insult of choice for Sen. Elizabeth Warren …
Discussion:
Vox, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

CIA freezes out top Flynn aide — A top deputy to National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was rejected for a critical security clearance, effectively ending his tenure on the National Security Council and escalating tensions between Flynn and the intelligence community.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Informed Comment, Washington Post, Defense One, NPR, Bleeding Heartland, Daily Wire, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, Occupy Democrats, Media Matters for America, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Just Security, Business Insider, AOL, Shakesville, Axios, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, RedState and emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »
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Just how much trouble is Michael Flynn in?
Discussion:
New York Times, Joe.My.God., Politico, Daily Kos, AOL, Mother Jones, Fox News Insider, Mediaite, Defense One, Associated Press and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Exclusive: White House Has Interviewed Carl Higbie for Press Secretary — Carl Higbie has interviewed for the position of White House press secretary, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the matter. “Well, I can say that I've offered my services,” Higbie confirms for Washingtonian when reached by phone.
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite and TheBlaze

Trump has some awkward exchanges with the Japanese prime minister — President Donald Trump's grin-and-grip with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office on Friday came off more like a power play between world leaders — and ended with an exaggerated eye roll from Abe.
Discussion:
ABC News, Towleroad, Associated Press and Axios
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Donald Trump and the art of the super-awkward handshake
Discussion:
WREG-TV, FOX6Now.com and twitchy.com

Japanese prime minister's stay at Mar-a-Lago will be a gift from President Trump
Discussion:
RedState

This video of Betsy DeVos being blocked by protesters shows what a powder keg our politics are … Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed by the narrowest of votes this week, requiring a rare tiebreaking vote from Vice President Pence after two Republican senators bucked their party's nominee.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, LGBTQ Nation, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, New York Times, Hot Air, KTLA, DCist and TheBlaze
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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos physically blocked by protesters from entering D.C. school
Discussion:
Common Dreams, twitchy.com and Power Line

Protesters block Betsy DeVos from entering public school in Washington
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Post, The Lid, TheBlaze, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, Liberty Unyielding, Politics K-12, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Occupy Democrats, AOL, The Daily Signal, CBS DC, Refinery29, RedState, Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Towleroad and The Week


Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway hires a chief of staff — Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump and one of the most visible figures in the administration, is expanding her operation inside the White House by hiring a veteran congressional staffer as her chief of staff.
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Monthly
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Swarming crowds and hostile questions are the new normal at GOP town halls — MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Republicans in deep red congressional districts spent the week navigating massive crowds and hostile questions at their town hall meetings — an early indication of how progressive opposition movements …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Grist
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DOJ nixes request to halt order against trans student protections — On the day after Jeff Sessions was confirmed as U.S. attorney general, the U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn its request to halt partially an order against Obama administration guidance protecting transgender students …
Discussion:
Human Rights Campaign


The Madness of King Donald — I guess I should start by saying this is not a blog. Nor is it what one might call a column. It's an experiment of sorts to see if there's something in between those two. Most Fridays, from now on, I'll be writing in this space about, among other things …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Althouse, New York Times, Mediaite, Mother Jones, IJR, RealClearPolitics and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »


REVEALED: This is what secretive billion-dollar startup Magic Leap has been working on — Magic Leap, the $4.5 billion startup backed by Google building technology that “augments” human vision with digital imagery, is scrambling to finish a working prototype before an important board meeting next week.

Breaking: Mob Gathering Outside Mitch McConnell's Home in Kentucky — This isn't going to end well. There is a crowd forming outside Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell's house in Louisville, Kentucky. Phil Lewis, a front page editor for the Huffington Post shared these pictures via his twitter account Friday night.
Discussion:
The Geller Report and TheBlaze


First on CNN: Trump nixes Elliott Abrams for State Department job — (CNN)CNN has learned that Elliott Abrams will not get the number two position at the State Department, according to Republican sources. — President Donald Trump met with Abrams and the sources said that the meeting went …
Discussion:
Salon, New York Magazine, Hot Air, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Week, Balloon Juice, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Hit & Run


Four accused in Facebook Live torture case plead not guilty — Brittany Covington, 18, of Chicago; (clockwise from upper left) Tesfaye Cooper, 18, of Chicago; Jordan Hill, 18, of Carpentersville; and Tanishia Covington, 24, of Chicago. Each is charged with a hate crime, aggravated kidnapping …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, WGN-TV and The Root


Guilty: Man who pulled gun out at 'Don't Shoot PDX' protest — A man who pulled out a gun at a Don't Shoot Portland march and pointed it at a crowd of protesters in downtown Portland was found guilty Friday of 21 felony and misdemeanor crimes. — Multnomah County Circuit Judge Thomas Ryan …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs

University: Woman Behind Hitler Valentine Was Not A Student, Left Town — The woman who created an anti-Semitic Valentine's card featuring Adolf Hitler that was handed out by Central Michigan University College Republicans earlier this week admitted her role and has left the university's town, the school said in a statement Friday.
Discussion:
Central Michigan University, twitchy.com and The Daily Caller


Trump adviser who claimed to be an expert witness in Boston bombing trial never actually testified — One of the Trump White House's newest hires is Sebastian Gorka, a self-proclaimed expert on radical Islam and frequent Breitbart contributor. For years, he's also presented himself as an …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Raw Story


White House Probing Leaks After Details of Call Between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin Released — Trump reportedly denounced a 2010 treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads, calling it a bad deal for the U.S.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Vox