Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence — WASHINGTON — Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year …
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CNN:
Trump aides were in constant touch with senior Russian officials during campaign — Trump campaign aides communicated with Russians — The communications stood out to investigators due to the frequency and the level of the Trump advisers involved — (CNN)High-level advisers close …
Mike Allen / Axios:
White House staff in “survival mode ... scared to death” — Here's a twist that has top GOP sources buzzing: — On Jan. 26, Sally Yates, then the acting attorney general, tells the White House that national security adviser Mike Flynn — who has just been grilled by FBI agents — had …
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New York Post, Politico, Raw Story, Business Insider, Shakesville, Associated Press, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, RedState, ThinkProgress, TheBlaze, ABC News, Daily Kos and Fox News Insider
David Corn / Mother Jones:
Why Trump Can't Come Clean on Russia — There is an old chestnut that gets tossed out whenever a scandal hits: It's not the crime, it's the cover-up. The saying traces back to Watergate. Sen. Howard Baker, the top Republican on the Senate Watergate committee, once noted …
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Washington Post, Salon, Fox News Insider, IJR, TheBlaze, BizPac Review and Daily Wire
James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: It's bigger than Flynn. New Russia revelations widen Trump's credibility gap.
The Daily 202: It's bigger than Flynn. New Russia revelations widen Trump's credibility gap.
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite, The Guardian, New York Times, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Fox News Insider, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Week, IJR and Vox
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Flynn Doesn't Matter. This Is About Trump
Aaron Klein / Breitbart:
EXCLUSIVE - NSA Whistleblower: Agency ‘Absolutely’ Tapping Trump's Calls
EXCLUSIVE - NSA Whistleblower: Agency ‘Absolutely’ Tapping Trump's Calls
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Infowars, Deadline and Raw Story
Madeline Conway / Politico:
Brian Fallon responds to Trump: He's trying to distract from ‘very serious allegations’ about Russia
Brian Fallon responds to Trump: He's trying to distract from ‘very serious allegations’ about Russia
Discussion:
Associated Press and ABC News
Andrew Puzder / National Review:
No to Puzder — Andrew Puzder was from the start an odd choice to head Donald Trump's Labor Department. The chief of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of fast-food chains such as Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, Puzder has long been one of corporate America's most high-profile advocates of Gang of Eight-style …
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Washington Post, The Atlantic, RedState, The Guardian, Mother Jones, rubber hose and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Timothy Noah / Politico:
Exclusive: Puzder's ex-wife told Oprah he threatened ‘you will pay for this’ — The ex-wife of President Donald Trump's labor secretary nominee told “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that he “vowed revenge” when she made public spousal abuse allegations, according to a 1990 tape reviewed by POLITICO on Tuesday night.
Manu Raju / CNN:
First on CNN: Top Senate Republicans urge White House to withdraw Puzder nomination — 4 GOP senators waver on Trump's labor pick — (CNN)Top Senate Republicans have urged the White House to withdraw the Andrew Puzder nomination for labor secretary, a senior GOP source said …
Discussion:
alan.com, Political Wire, Boing Boing, The Week and Business Insider
CBS News:
Andrew Puzder expected to withdraw from labor secretary nomination, source says — Andrew Puzder, President Trump's pick for labor secretary, is expected to withdraw his name from the nomination, a source close to the restaurant executive tells CBS News' Major Garrett.
Discussion:
NBC News, Common Dreams, Mother Jones and Joe.My.God.
Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Andrew Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary
Andrew Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary
Discussion:
The Resurgent, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller
Thomas E. Ricks / Foreign Policy:
Robert Harward plans a housecleaning of Trump's National Security Council staff — President Donald Trump offered the job of national security advisor to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward on Monday night, and was a bit surprised when Harward responded by saying he needed a couple of days to think it over.
Discussion:
RedState, Mediaite, BizPac Review, The Week, Hot Air, Business Insider and Political Wire
Dylan Byers / CNN:
Sean Spicer isn't finished — Washington (CNN)Sean Spicer has barely moved into his office. — Three weeks after the inauguration, the only things adorning the White House press secretary's shelves are a framed picture of himself at the podium, a book on Naval Special Warfare …
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Breitbart, Mediaite, Politico, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »
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New York Times:
Trump, Meeting With Netanyahu, Backs Away From Palestinian State — WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would no longer insist on a Palestinian state as part of a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, backing away from a policy …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, LobeLog, The Daily Signal, The Week and Foreign Policy
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Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Trump: Netanyahu should ‘hold back’ on settlements
Trump: Netanyahu should ‘hold back’ on settlements
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Reuters, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, RedState, FOX6Now.com, Vox, Common Dreams and The Guardian
Aidan Quigley / Politico:
Trump, asked about anti-Semitism, brags about election victory
Trump, asked about anti-Semitism, brags about election victory
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mediaite and BizPac Review
Bloomberg:
Aetna CEO: Obamacare in ‘Death Spiral’ — Aetna Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini escalated his criticism of the Affordable Care Act, saying Obamacare's markets are nearing failure as premiums climb and healthier individuals drop out. — “It is in a death spiral,” …
Discussion:
Business Insider and Axios
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Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
Doubts grow that GOP can repeal Obamacare
Doubts grow that GOP can repeal Obamacare
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and New York Magazine
David Weigel / Washington Post:
Freedom Caucus ready for Obamacare replacement that expands HSAs, bans abortion funding
Freedom Caucus ready for Obamacare replacement that expands HSAs, bans abortion funding
Discussion:
Vox
Reuters:
U.S. detains Mexican immigrant in Seattle covered by Obama program — U.S. immigration authorities have detained a 23-year-old Mexican man who was brought to the United States illegally as a child and given a work permit during the Obama administration, according to a lawsuit challenging the detention in Seattle federal court.
Discussion:
Vox, CNN, The Stranger …, Daily Wire and The Daily Caller
Tarini Parti / BuzzFeed:
Corey Lewandowski's Potential Clients Say He's Bragging About Access To Trump's Twitter Account — Trump's former campaign manager, who now has a lobbying and consulting shop, has mentioned having access to Trump's Twitter account as a selling point in pitch meetings with at least …
Us Weekly:
Melania Trump Is ‘Miserable’ as First Lady, ‘Unhappy With How Her Life Ended Up’ — While her husband, Donald Trump, wields his power as president, first lady Melania Trump is struggling with the realities of her new role and the scrutiny that comes with it, insiders reveal in the new issue of Us Weekly.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Magazine and AOL
Rick Maese / Washington Post:
Trump will not fill out an NCAA tournament bracket — It appears that President Trump is passing on March Madness. He will not continue his predecessor's annual tradition of filling out an NCAA tournament bracket on ESPN. — The network reached out to Trump's staff and invited the president …
Akil Yunus / The Star Online:
Clearer image of Jong-nam's alleged killer caught on CCTV — PETALING JAYA: CCTV cameras at KLIA2 have captured a clearer image of a woman believed to be one of the assassins who killed Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. — The image zooms in on the alleged …
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine and New York's PIX11
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Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
‘This is . . . Nixonian’: Reporter was taped by White House in heated exchange — A top aide to President Trump said she has a recording of a dispute with a White House reporter, and has shared parts of it with journalists. — Omarosa Manigault, a communications official …
Discussion:
Althouse, Mediaite, Raw Story and BizPac Review, more at Mediagazer »
John Podhoretz / Commentary Magazine:
Beware Triggering the Coup Theory — I can't believe I'm writing this after the administration has been in office for 26 days, but here goes. The idea that Donald Trump is now inexorably on a path to impeachment has taken almost gleeful hold in the wake of the Michael Flynn resignation among liberal elites …
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Steve Bannon privately unloaded on Breitbart reporter — Shortly after Breitbart's Matt Boyle published an extensive attack on White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, Boyle's former boss Steve Bannon exploded. — Far from Bannon orchestrating the leaks — as some have speculated — Trump's chief strategist was furious.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, RedState, Washington Monthly and Mediaite
J.D. Durkin / Mediaite:
Mika Brzezinski Firmly Says Conway Will No Longer Be Booked on Morning Joe: 'She's Not Credible Anymore' — Mika Brzezinski of Morning Joe revealed a tidbit that many may not know about the way Kellyanne Conway gets herself booked onto so many shows on behalf of the administration …
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The Hill, RedState and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
Do voter identification laws suppress minority voting? Yes. We did the research. — The Justice Department just got a new boss: Jeff Sessions. He is raising alarms in the civil rights community. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is concerned about his “record of hostility” …
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch
Jake Sherman / Politico:
Poll: Trump trails generic Democrat, but not Warren, in 2020 — Donald Trump begins his presidency facing unprecedented polling headwinds: Roughly a quarter of voters think he is the worst president in the past three-quarters of a century. Forty-three percent of voters are ready to vote …
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The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Daily Wire, Morning Consult, Red Alert Politics, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Week, CBS Boston, Power Line and Axios
Mark Potok / Southern Poverty Law Center:
The Year in Hate and Extremism — The radical right was more successful in entering the political mainstream last year than in half a century. How did it happen? — After half a century of being increasingly relegated to the margins of society, the radical right entered the political mainstream …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, The Guardian, Gothamist, WTVR-TV and Media Matters for America
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Defense Secretary Mattis issues new ultimatum to NATO allies on defense spending — BRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued an ultimatum Wednesday to allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), warning that if they do not boost their defense spending to goals set by the alliance …
Discussion:
Breitbart, TheBlaze, Business Insider, Hot Air and The Daily Caller