Top Items:
Mike Allen / Axios:
1 big thing: Trump, baffled and brooding — Trump, during an opioid and drug abuse listening session Wednesday n the Cabinet Room with Chris Christie, Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos / AP's Evan Vucci — President Trump brought his chaos …
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Sarah Kliff / Vox:
An Obamacare adviser walks into the Trump White House... Multiple sources tell me that former Obama adviser Zeke Emanuel was at the White House Thursday, meeting with staff about what comes next on health care. I'm told the meeting included a discussion of funding for reinsurance …
Discussion:
The Hill and Morning Consult
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
Trump's failing presidency has the GOP in a free fall
Trump's failing presidency has the GOP in a free fall
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Politico, FiveThirtyEight, Talking Points Memo, Salon, CNN, The Daily Signal, RedState, Hullabaloo, The Atlantic, IJR, CBS Philly, Shareblue, The Week, BizPac Review, The Hill, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Occupy Democrats, Morning Consult, TheBlaze, Investor's Business Daily, Raw Story, CBS New York, ABC News, CNBC, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, Townhall.com, Political Wire, Eschaton and New York Times
Joe Concha / The Hill:
Hannity sides with Freedom Caucus over Trump
Hannity sides with Freedom Caucus over Trump
Discussion:
Roll Call, CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Signal and Towleroad
NBC News:
Michael Flynn's Immunity Request Rejected By Senate Intelligence Committee — The Senate Intelligence Committee turned down the request by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's lawyer for a grant of immunity in exchange for his testimony, two congressional sources told NBC News.
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Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
Senate Intelligence Committee turned down Flynn's request for immunity: NBC — The Senate Intelligence Committee has turned down former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's request for immunity.
Discussion:
BostonGlobe.com, Fox News Insider, BizPac Review, Daily Kos, Vox, TheStreet, Axios, The Week, TheBlaze, CBS News, Joe.My.God. and Wall Street Journal
Austin Wright / Politico:
Schiff heads to White House to review controversial intelligence
Schiff heads to White House to review controversial intelligence
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ABC News, Daily Wire and The Hill
Senator Claire McCaskill:
Gorsuch: Good for Corporations, Bad for Working People — This is a really difficult decision for me. I am not comfortable with either choice. While I have come to the conclusion that I can't support Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court—and will vote no on the procedural vote and his confirmation …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Hot Air, The Week, Axios, Kansas City Star and Reuters
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Associated Press:
Democratic Supreme Court opposition grows; Schumer warns GOP — Senate Democratic opposition to Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee swelled Friday as Democrats neared the numbers needed to block Judge Neil Gorsuch with a filibuster. — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer …
Discussion:
Power Line, Breitbart, Politico and ABC News
Fox News:
Intelligence official who ‘unmasked’ Trump associates is ‘very high up,’ source says — The U.S. intelligence official who “unmasked,” or exposed, the names of multiple private citizens affiliated with the Trump team is someone “very well known, very high up, very senior in the intelligence world,” a source told Fox News on Friday.
Discussion:
The Lid and The Gateway Pundit
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Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Devin Nunes Is Just the Errand Boy in the Trump-Russia Scandal
Devin Nunes Is Just the Errand Boy in the Trump-Russia Scandal
Discussion:
Just Security
Joanna L. Grossman / Vox:
Vice President Pence's “never dine alone with a woman” rule isn't honorable. It's probably illegal. — An employment lawyer weighs in. — “I don't work with women. If they're attractive, I'm too tempted. And if they're not attractive, what's the point?”
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, National Post, BizPac Review, Business Insider, TheBlaze, Shakesville, USA Today, Patterico's Pontifications, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Refinery29, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, The Guardian, Raw Story, Mashable, The Week, The American Conservative and twitchy.com
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The GOP's Favorite Health-Care Idea Is to Stick It to Mothers — The single most unifying idea to change Obamacare among conservatives is to eliminate the law's “essential health benefits.” These burdensome mandates of which treatments insurance has to cover make Obamacare too expensive, conservatives say.
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Sarah Kliff / Vox:
The Freedom Caucus's new health care demand: let insurers charge sick people more
The Freedom Caucus's new health care demand: let insurers charge sick people more
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Mother Jones and Axios
The Guardian:
Michael Flynn: new evidence spy chiefs had concerns about Russian ties — US and UK officials were troubled by Moscow contacts and encounter with woman linked to Russian spy agency records — US intelligence officials had serious concerns about Michael Flynn's appointment …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Business Insider
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Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Five questions investigators want to ask Michael Flynn
Five questions investigators want to ask Michael Flynn
Discussion:
New Yorker, RedState and Political Wire
David Ferguson / Raw Story:
You're the puppet: Spicer revives Trump's unhinged attacks on Clinton as Russia scandal grows
You're the puppet: Spicer revives Trump's unhinged attacks on Clinton as Russia scandal grows
Discussion:
CNN
Anita Kumar / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
1 in 3 voters give President Trump a grade F — WASHINGTON — After more than two months in office, America's new president, Republican Donald Trump, got a grade of F from 1 in 3 voters, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Poll. — By contrast, the same number graded predecessor Democrat …
Discussion:
Daily Wire, Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and AOL
Caitlin Dewey / Washington Post:
GOP lawmaker: The Bible says ‘if a man will not work, he shall not eat’ — One lawmaker is citing a godly reference to justify changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Tex.) recently quoted the New Testament to question the strength of current work requirements.
Discussion:
The Federalist, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., The Root, Occupy Democrats, Washington Free Beacon and twitchy.com
Michael Cabanatuan / San Francisco Chronicle:
President Jerry Brown? 'Don't rule it out' — Gov. Jerry Brown went to Concord on Thursday to promote a plan to fix the state's roads and highways, acknowledging that the $52 billion plan may be a “heavy lift” for some motorists but promising he's motivated only by a desire to improve transportation.
Discussion:
Daily Wire
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Lisa Hagen / The Hill:
Jerry Brown on running for president: 'Don't rule it out'
Jerry Brown on running for president: 'Don't rule it out'
Discussion:
Faithwire, Political Wire and The Daily Caller
Jeffrey Lord / The American Spectator:
Exclusive: Evelyn Farkas Statement for The American Spectator: Video ‘A Wild Misinterpretation’ of Her Comments — To American Spectator readers: — As it happens in the world of coincidence, Evelyn Farkas, who served President Obama as deputy assistant secretary of defense …
Discussion:
New York Times, Power Line, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, NewsBusters and Snopes.com
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Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Grassley asks State for details on Clinton's security clearance — (R-Iowa) is asking the State Departments for details on the security clearances of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — and her top aides. — Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter this week …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
Diplomats instructed to ‘avoid eye contact’ with Tillerson: report — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has remained relatively removed from President Trump's administration and his own department, a new report by The Washington Post says, adding that many diplomats have yet to meet him and some have been told to avoid eye contact.
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Joe Concha / The Hill:
AP reporter disputes Washington Post's Tillerson eye-contact report
AP reporter disputes Washington Post's Tillerson eye-contact report
Discussion:
IJR, Heat Street, The Daily Caller, The Week and Washington Post
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
The Prince of Oversight — When Donald Trump's now-notorious Access Hollywood tape first leaked in October last year, Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz reacted to the news the way he usually does—he got himself in front of a camera, and fast. — Within hours after the story broke …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, The Slot, The Week and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Peter Holley / Washington Post:
After ‘classy’ N.C. restaurant bans kids, critics fume — and reservations surge — The final straw was a little girl using an iPad with the volume on high, a device her parents refused to turn down despite repeated requests from the staff at Caruso's, an upscale Italian restaurant in Mooresville, N.C.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, TheBlaze and FOX6Now.com
Stephanie Coontz / New York Times:
Do Millennial Men Want Stay-at-Home Wives? — Millennials, generally defined as people born between 1982 and 2000, were supposed to be the generation that forged what has been called “a new national consensus” in favor of gender equality. Indeed, in February the prominent Columbia professor …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Refinery29, New York Magazine and The Week
Reuters:
Top Venezuela official breaks with government, protests mount — Venezuela's powerful attorney general on Friday broke ranks with President Nicolas Maduro's government after the judiciary annulled congress, a rare show of internal dissent as protests and international condemnation grew.
Discussion:
Instapundit and Hot Air
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Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Republicans' views of blacks' intelligence, work ethic lag behind Democrats at a record clip — Over the last two decades, there has never been a bigger divide between white Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views of the intelligence and work ethic of African Americans, according to the new General Social Survey.
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Mistakes, He's Made a Few Too Many — Crisis will inevitably strike, so America needs stability and strength. Will Trump be ready? — Near the end of the campaign I wrote a column called “Imagine a Sane Donald Trump,” lamenting that I believed he was crazy, and too bad.
Discussion:
NBC News, alicublog and No More Mister Nice Blog
Richard Greenberg / NBC News:
Obama Officials Made List of Secret Russia Probe Documents To Protect Them … LATEST POSTS FROM INTEL DESK — Obama administration officials were so concerned about what would happen to key classified documents related to the Russia probe once President Trump took office that they created …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Raw Story and Occupy Democrats