Top Items:
Marie Le Conte / BuzzFeed:
Nigel Farage Just Visited The Ecuadorian Embassy In London — Asked by BuzzFeed News if he'd been visiting Julian Assange, the former UKIP leader said he couldn't remember what he'd been doing in the building. — Nigel Farage visited the Ecuadorian embassy in west London on Thursday …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Independent, The Moderate Voice, The Hill, CANNONFIRE, New York Magazine and The Week
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Steven Perlberg / BuzzFeed:
President Mike Pence Doesn't Sound Quite So Bad, Some Top Democrats Say — “I'd sleep easier with almost any other human being as president than Donald Trump,” said a former Obama speechwriter. And they won't say so publicly, but several elected Democrats told BuzzFeed News they would much prefer …
Discussion:
TheBlaze, Shakesville, The Daily Caller and The Week
Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Trump's ‘unofficial adviser’ Nigel Farage visits Julian Assange's home after CIA docs leaked
Trump's ‘unofficial adviser’ Nigel Farage visits Julian Assange's home after CIA docs leaked
Discussion:
New York Times and Political Wire
Tom DiChristopher / CNBC:
EPA chief Scott Pruitt says carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming — EPA takes aim at CAFE standards: Scott Pruitt — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Thursday he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming.
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Coral Davenport / New York Times:
E.P.A. Chief Doubts Consensus View of Climate Change
E.P.A. Chief Doubts Consensus View of Climate Change
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Trump to conservative leaders: If this plan fails, I'll blame Democrats — Washington (CNN)In an Oval Office meeting featuring several leaders of conservative groups already lining up against the House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Donald Trump revealed his plan …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, RedState, Hot Air, CNBC, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Common Dreams, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and New York Magazine
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Trump has a secret backup plan to kill Obamacare. It's actually brilliant.
Trump has a secret backup plan to kill Obamacare. It's actually brilliant.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Washington Monthly, Washington Examiner, The Hill and The Federalist
Margaret Hartmann / New York Magazine:
Trump's Backup Plan: Let Health-Care System Explode, Blame Democrats
Trump's Backup Plan: Let Health-Care System Explode, Blame Democrats
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, The Hill, Daily Wire and Fox News Insider
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Breitbart editor slams ‘absurd’ story about dispute with Bannon over coverage
Breitbart editor slams ‘absurd’ story about dispute with Bannon over coverage
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mediaite, Business Insider and Axios
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Trump's Obamacare fallback: Blame the Democrats
Trump's Obamacare fallback: Blame the Democrats
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo and Washington Post
New York Times:
How Many People Are Affected by Obamacare Premium Increases? (Hint, It's Fewer Than You Think) — SCROLL TO START — Republicans cite rising insurance premiums as a primary reason for repealing the Affordable Care Act. But only a narrow slice of the market was actually affected by the increases.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and BostonGlobe.com
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Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Why Republicans Are Battling Republicans on Obamacare Repeal — WASHINGTON — Republicans are rarely as exercised as when they are fighting with themselves. — And as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets …
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Ryan: This is the last chance to repeal Obamacare — House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that Republicans in Congress are facing their last, best chance to end Obamacare. — “This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare,” he said at a news conference …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Wbastone / The Smoking Gun:
Roger Stone's Russian Hacking “Hero” — Trump loyalist communicated with “Guccifer 2.0,” target of FBI probe — In the months before Election Day, a longtime confidante and political consultant for Donald Trump was in contact with the Russian hacking group that U.S. intelligence officials …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Raw Story and Mediaite
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Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
FBI has records of Trump trickster Roger Stone communicating with Russians behind DNC hacks: report — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Roger Stone, a Donald Trump confidante and longtime Republican dirty trickster, communicated privately with a Russian hacking group identified …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and CANNONFIRE
Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Why the Russia Story Is a Minefield for Democrats and the Media — Russia scandals have bloodied the Trump administration. But it carries dangers for those reporting it — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appeared on Meet the Press this past weekend to discuss the Trump-Russia scandal.
Discussion:
twitchy.com
Madeline Conway / Politico:
McConnell on Mexico paying for the border wall: ‘Uh, no’ — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday threw cold water on President Donald Trump's insistence that Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall. — “Uh, no,” McConnell said flatly, asked whether he thinks Mexico …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Mediaite, The Week and Business Insider
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BuzzFeed:
Steve Bannon Helped Preserve DACA But Democrats And Activists Aren't Celebrating — They're bracing for what's coming: millions of deportations and further crackdowns on both legal and illegal immigration. — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration doesn't want to talk about it.
Discussion:
Daily Wire and The Week
Mark Molloy / Telegraph:
Burger-flipping robot replaces humans on first day at work — A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill. — Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Forbes, IJR, The Daily Caller and Hit & Run
David Ovalle / miamiherald:
Hot story: Miami lawyer's pants erupt in flames during arson trial in court — A Miami defense lawyer's pants burst into flames Wednesday afternoon as he began his closing arguments in front of a jury — in an arson case. — Stephen Gutierrez, who was arguing that his client's car spontaneously combusted …
Discussion:
AOL, NBC News, Outside the Beltway, Above the Law, Daily Wire, The Big Lead and Raw Story
Tim Molloy / The Wrap:
Sex Columnist Dan Savage Calls Melania Trump ‘Ugly on the Inside’ — Savage says first lady gets a pass from some liberals because of her looks, but “is as ugly on the inside as she is pretty on the outside” — Author and sex columnist Dan Savage says many liberals are giving first lady Melania …
Discussion:
Raw Story, IJR, Fox News Insider, Mediaite and TheBlaze
New York Times:
C.I.A. Scrambles to Contain Damage From WikiLeaks Documents — WASHINGTON — The C.I.A. scrambled on Wednesday to assess and contain the damage from the release by WikiLeaks of thousands of documents that cataloged the agency's cyberspying capabilities, temporarily halting work on some projects …
Discussion:
Fox News, BBC, Refinery29, IJR, emptywheel, The Guardian, Just Security, The Week, Fox News Insider, Mashable, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, Consumerist, Hit & Run and Big Think
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John Harwood / CNBC:
The Republican health-care bill threatens Trump's voters — “To the victor belong the spoils,” candidate Donald Trump reminded 2016 voters. But the House Republican health bill turns that old maxim on its head. — Instead of broadly rewarding Trump's backers, the House bill hands huge benefits …
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
The budget rule you've never heard of that ties Republicans' hands on Obamacare — Everything you ever wanted to know about reconciliation.
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
McConnell: Tax reform unlikely by August — (R-Ky.) on Thursday poured cold water on the Trump administration's goal of completing tax reform by the August recess. — “I think finishing on tax reform will take longer,” McConnell said during a Playbook Live interview.
Discussion:
John Hawkins' Right Wing News
Associated Press:
Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey — President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Magazine, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Fox News Insider
Katie Mettler / Washington Post:
Backlash, boycott threats in Boston after gay vets banned from St. Patrick's Day parade — Twenty-five years ago, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, refused to allow a gay veterans group to participate in the festivities.
Discussion:
Mediaite, NPR, BostonGlobe.com, Joe.My.God. and CBS Boston
John Sides / Washington Post:
The 40-year decline in the tolerance of college students, graphed — Last week, the author Charles Murray was shouted down when he attempted to give an invited talk at Middlebury College. Allison Stanger, the political science professor who, at the request of students, participated in Murray's visit …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Daily Wire and The Week
The Independent:
Pope Francis issues veiled warning about Donald Trump: ‘Populism is evil’ — Pontiff also confesses to moments of spiritual doubt in interview with German newspaper Die Zeit — Pope Francis has warned in an interview with a German newspaper of the dangers of rising populism in western democracies.
Discussion:
Daily Wire
Todd Shepherd / Washington Examiner:
IRS has 7,000 unreleased documents related to conservative and Tea Party targeting — The IRS has told a federal court that they've recently identified almost 7,000 more documents that could contain information on how the agency targeted the tax-exempt applications of Tea Party organizations …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Salena Zito / Reuters:
Trump's voters have high hopes - even if they don't expect miracles — MORE FROM: — MINGO JUNCTION, OHIO — Many people living in this town of used-to-be's don't expect their community will ever return to its glory days. — They don't anticipate the return to a downtown …
Iona Craig / The Intercept:
Women and Children in Yemeni Village Recall Horror of Trump's “Highly Successful” SEAL Raid — On January 29, 5-year-old Sinan al Ameri was asleep with his mother, his aunt, and 12 other children in a one-room stone hut typical of poor rural villages in the highlands of Yemen.