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Devin Nunes Steps Aside; Ethics Committee Investigating for Spilling Secrets — Rep. Devin Nunes said Thursday he is stepping aside as chairman of the House intelligence committee because he is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly disclosing intelligence without proper authorization.
Discussion:
Raw Story, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Politicus USA, Daily Kos, Occupy Democrats and IJR
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Nunes steps aside from Russia probe — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) will temporarily step aside from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including interactions between Moscow and the Trump campaign. — The move comes as the House …
Discussion:
House Committee on Ethics, Hot Air, Shareblue, Daily Wire, vice, Vocativ, Gizmodo, The Week, Towleroad and Common Dreams


Gowdy: Accusations of crime ‘not constructive’ in Russia investigation — (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that accusations of criminal offenses are not constructive to the House Intelligence Committee's probe into Russia's meddling in the United States presidential election.
Discussion:
RedState, MSNBC and John Hawkins' Right Wing News


Speaker Ryan Statement on Chairman Nunes
Discussion:
WTVM-TV, Business Insider, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Reports in unmasking controversy were detailed, had info about ‘everyday lives’
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RedState, Business Insider, Daily Wire, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge and Hot Air


Nunes steps aside from Russia investigation
Discussion:
Political Wire


Bannon to associates: “I love a gunfight” — After a series of high-level White House leaks portraying Steve Bannon as fed up with his job and ready to quit, Trump's chief strategist has told associates the stories are “100 percent nonsense” and he's playing for keeps.
Discussion:
CNN, Raw Story and Political Wire
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Mega-donor urged Bannon not to resign — The man credited with honing Donald Trump's populist message and guiding him into the White House has grown frustrated amid continued infighting in the West Wing, so much so that in recent weeks a top donor had to convince him to stay in his position.
Discussion:
Vox, Axios, IJR, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo, Israpundit, Althouse, Infowars, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Business Insider, Shareblue, The Daily Caller, The Root, RedState, Boing Boing, Washington Post, Daily Wire, ABC News, Snopes.com, TheStreet, The Week, Political Wire, Occupy Democrats, Morning Consult, The Times of Israel, New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Taylor Marsh and AOL


Inside the White House, paranoia and unrest among top staff — (CNN)In the West Wing, Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon occupy some of the most coveted real estate. Priebus, the chief of staff, enjoys the only outdoor patio in the White House. Bannon is mere steps from the Oval Office.
Discussion:
Breitbart

White House aides clash with GOP leaders over flailing Obamacare push
Discussion:
Raw Story


To Defend Bannon, Breitbart Has Opened Fire On The President's Son-In-Law

Bannon reportedly threatened to leave White House after NSC shakeup
Discussion:
Axios and Instapundit

Bannon removed from security council as McMaster asserts control
Discussion:
Lawfare, Defense One, The Week, Politico, Political Wire and New York Magazine

Trump's hidden backchannel to Justice Kennedy: Their kids — After Donald Trump wrapped up his first speech to Congress and worked his way through the crowd, he lingered on his handshake with Anthony Kennedy, the 80-year-old Supreme Court justice. — The boom mics picked up their seemingly private conversation.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, Axios and ABC News
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Democrats Filibuster Supreme Court Nominee, Setting Up Senate Showdown
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Taylor Marsh and TheBlaze

McConnell Is Finishing What Schumer Started
Discussion:
Power Line and Hot Air

It's zero hour: Senate to go ‘nuclear’
Discussion:
Common Dreams and Hot Air

Negotiations to avert nuclear option collapse ahead of Gorsuch vote
Discussion:
Axios, ABC News, Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Hot Air


Creeping Toward Crisis — I am racked with anxiety that our buffoonish “president” — who sounds so internationally unsophisticated and who is still operating under a cloud of illegitimacy — is beginning to face his first real foreign crises. — What worries me most is that he seems …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, CNN, vice, Defense One, Business Insider and The Daily Signal
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At Mar-a-Lago, Trump to welcome China's Xi for high-stakes inaugural summit
Discussion:
Politico, Foreign Policy and Bloomberg

Trump lacks key players for meeting with Chinese leader
Discussion:
New York Magazine, ABC News and The Week

The ‘Goddess’ Yi Wan Ka: Ivanka Trump Is a Hit in China
Discussion:
New York Magazine


Partial Transcript: Trump's Interview With The Times — WASHINGTON — The following is a partial transcript of President Trump's interview with The New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush. It has been lightly edited for content and clarity, and omits several off-the-record comments and asides.

Ivanka's secret Planned Parenthood outreach — In the weeks following her father's inauguration, Ivanka Trump quietly reached out to the president of Planned Parenthood seeking common ground on the contentious issue of abortion. — The first daughter requested a sit-down with Cecile Richards …
Discussion:
ABC News, Raw Story, AOL, Mediaite, Hot Air, LifeNews.com, twitchy.com, Political Wire and The Week
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Ivanka Trump met secretly with Planned Parenthood head: report
Discussion:
RedState, New York Times and Politico


Donald Trump Jr. talks about running for governor of New York — MORE FROM: … Donald Trump Jr. wants to run for political office, telling members of an elite gun club that he could set his sights on becoming governor of New York. — Don Jr. spoke to members of the F6 Labs gun club in Hicksville …
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Magazine, Axios, The Daily Caller, vice, The Week and TheBlaze


The Husband Of A Trump Supporter Has Just Been Deported Back To Mexico — The man's American wife said she believed “good people” would not be deported under President Trump. Late Tuesday night, her husband was removed to Mexico. — A Mexican man who spent almost two decades living …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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First on CNN: Secret Service agent on VP's detail caught after meeting with prostitute at Maryland hotel — Secret Service scandals Story highlights — Washington (CNN)CNN has learned from multiple law enforcement sources that a Secret Service agent on Vice President Mike Pence's detail …
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Trump considering options for Syria retaliation, source says — US intel: Syrian warplanes behind gas attack — (CNN)President Donald Trump has told some members of Congress that he is considering military action in Syria in retaliation for this week's chemical attack …
Discussion:
Axios
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Revisiting the Obama track record on Syria's chemical weapons
Discussion:
BBC, Washington Free Beacon, NPR and Business Insider


Top Democrats Are Wrong: Trump Supporters Were More Motivated by Racism Than Economic Issues — IT ISN'T ONLY Republicans, it seems, who traffic in alternative facts. Since Donald Trump's shock election victory, leading Democrats have worked hard to convince themselves, and the rest of us …
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Trump Spurs GOP to Tweak Health Bill Before Leaving Town — House Rules Committee to consider adding amendment to bill — Move to show momentum toward deal as lawmakers return home — The White House prodded House Republican leaders to make last-minute tweaks to their Obamacare replacement …
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Axios, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and Business Insider
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Bill O'Reilly's new book talks consent: ‘No means no’ — O'Reilly accuser: I'm not after money — In his new book, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly says he is reaching out to a generation of Americans he believes are under siege. He draws a hard line between “Old School folks” and “Snowflakes.”
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Politico and WTVR-TV, more at Mediagazer »
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Maxine Waters Says That 'Bill O'Reilly Needs to Go to Jail'
Discussion:
MSNBC, TheBlaze, The Week and The Guardian


Cohn Backs Wall Street Split of Lending, Investment Banks — Senators ask about Glass-Steagall return in private meeting — Trump's top economic adviser said he supports separation — In a private meeting with lawmakers, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said he supports a policy …
Discussion:
TheStreet, Business Insider and CNBC

Civil war rages throughout Trump administration — A civil war between Donald Trump loyalists and establishment-minded Republicans is escalating throughout the federal government — and increasingly the president's allies are losing. — From the State Department to the Environmental Protection Agency …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Axios