Top Items:
Reuters:
Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians: sources — Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump's campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race …
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New York Times:
Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House — WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn told President Trump's transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign …
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, RedState, Townhall.com, Axios, Politico, NBC News, Hot Air, Shareblue, National Review, Outside the Beltway, TheBlaze, Politicus USA, Media Matters for America, The Week, Raw Story, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, CNBC, Refinery29, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, Mediaite, Daily Kos and Washington Times, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:
As investigators circled Flynn, he got a message from Trump: Stay strong — Late last month, fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn—under investigation by federal prosecutors, with his lawyer seeking immunity for him to testify to Congress-met with a small group of loyalists at a restaurant in the northern Virginia suburbs.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, CNBC, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Week, twitchy.com and Politicus USA
Vera Bergengruen / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Flynn stopped military plan Turkey opposed - after being paid as its agent — WASHINGTON — One of the Trump administration's first decisions about the fight against the Islamic State was made by Michael Flynn weeks before he was fired - and it conformed to the wishes of Turkey …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, RedState, Shakesville, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, Just Security, Hot Air, IJR, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, New York Magazine, Axios, Mediaite and Politico
Adam Entous / Washington Post:
House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump — KIEV, Ukraine — A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Media Matters for America, CNN, AOL, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Breitbart, Take Care Blog, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, twitchy.com, Mother Jones, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Mediaite, Gizmodo, The Root, CNBC, The Week, KTLA, The Guardian, Shakesville, Axios, Politicus USA, bradford-delong.com, NBC News and Political Wire
Shane Harris / Wall Street Journal:
Israeli Source Seen as Key to Countering Islamic State Threat
Israeli Source Seen as Key to Countering Islamic State Threat
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and ThinkProgress
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Chaffetz: Trump ‘probably’ shouldn't have hired Flynn
Chaffetz: Trump ‘probably’ shouldn't have hired Flynn
Discussion:
RedState
HuffPost:
You Need To Connect The Dots Between The Bombshell Michael Flynn Stories
You Need To Connect The Dots Between The Bombshell Michael Flynn Stories
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, Axios and The Week
Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
The Ghost of Mike Flynn
The Ghost of Mike Flynn
Discussion:
The Week, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Politicus USA and Axios
Wall Street Journal:
The Special Counsel Mistake — Rosenstein bends to political pressure, and here we go again.
Discussion:
Infowars and The Last Tradition
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Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Deputy Attorney General to Appear in Rare All-Senate Hearing — The Justice Department appointed Robert S. Mueller III, a former F.B.I. director, as a special counsel to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, announced on Wednesday.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Infowars, Raw Story, Take Care Blog, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Hit & Run and Politico
Jchong / Lawfare:
Initial Reactions on the Appointment of Robert Mueller As Special Counsel — FBI Director Robert Mueller leads a briefing for President Obama on the Boston Marathon bombings, April 2013 / Official White House Photo by Pete Souza — There's a lot of reason to be cheered this evening …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Daily Kos, CNN, AOL, Vox and Axios
Philip Shenon / Politico:
Trump's Worst Nightmare Comes True
Trump's Worst Nightmare Comes True
Discussion:
ABC News, New York Times, Washington Post, Scared Monkeys, The Week, Washington Free Beacon, Axios and Outside the Beltway
Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Kellyanne Conway cancels Fox appearance after special prosecutor announcement
Kellyanne Conway cancels Fox appearance after special prosecutor announcement
Annie Karni / Politico:
How Trump learned about the special prosecutor
How Trump learned about the special prosecutor
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Vox, New York Magazine, ABC News, Betsy's Page and USA Today
CNN:
Inside an embattled Trump's most consequential evening of turmoil yet
Inside an embattled Trump's most consequential evening of turmoil yet
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, TheBlaze and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
The Special Counsel Who Just Might Save Trump's Presidency
The Special Counsel Who Just Might Save Trump's Presidency
Discussion:
NBC News, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times, Mother Jones and The Week
Nikita Vladimirov / The Hill:
Chaffetz sees no ‘actual crime’ for special Russia prosecutor to investigate
Chaffetz sees no ‘actual crime’ for special Russia prosecutor to investigate
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, ABC News, Daily Kos, The Week and Above the Law
Erin McClam / CNNMoney:
Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a powerhouse, dies at 77 — Roger Ailes dead at 77 — Roger Ailes, who transformed cable news and then American politics by building Fox News into a ratings powerhouse, died Thursday. He was 77. — The death was announced by his family and reported on Fox News Channel.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Washington Free Beacon, New York Magazine, WPRI-TV and Outside the Beltway
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Washington Post:
Roger Ailes, Fox News founder and former chairman, dies at 77, family says
Roger Ailes, Fox News founder and former chairman, dies at 77, family says
Discussion:
Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Roger Ailes, Who Built Fox News Into an Empire, Dies at 77
Roger Ailes, Who Built Fox News Into an Empire, Dies at 77
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Refinery29 and The Root
Katie Little / CNBC:
Fox News' ex-CEO Roger Ailes dead
Fox News' ex-CEO Roger Ailes dead
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Forbes, Mediaite, IJR, NBC News, TVNewser, The Times of Israel, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mashable, AOL, Washington Free Beacon, RT, Infowars, The Week, New York's PIX11 and Deadline
Fox News:
Roger Ailes, founder of Fox News, dead at 77
Roger Ailes, founder of Fox News, dead at 77
Discussion:
Daily Mail, TMZ.com, White House Dossier, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, WKBN-TV, Mediaite and TheBlaze
myfox8.com:
Former Fox News executive Roger Ailes dead at 77
Former Fox News executive Roger Ailes dead at 77
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Vox, New York Times, Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit
Marc Fisher / Washington Post:
Roger Ailes, architect of conservative TV juggernaut Fox News, is dead at 77
Roger Ailes, architect of conservative TV juggernaut Fox News, is dead at 77
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Althouse
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Chaffetz to announce early departure from Congress — Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is expected to announce Thursday that he is resigning before the end of this congressional term, according to three sources familiar with his plans. — Chaffetz did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Week, RedState, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, The Resurgent and Washington Post
Annie Karni / Politico:
Trump weighs downsizing Spicer's public role — President Donald Trump is considering scaling back White House press secretary Sean Spicer's public role, according to several officials familiar with the president's thinking, as Trump also weighs a broader shakeup of his communications shop in the wake of several scandals.
Discussion:
Axios, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Political Wire, Raw Story, Mediaite, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, The Week and ABC News, more at Mediagazer »
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Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Trump ‘furious’ at Guilfoyle's bid for Spicer's job, 'She's using us' … President Trump is “furious” at reports that Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle is gunning for White House spokesman Sean's Spicer's job, telling aides that his press secretary is a vital part of his operation, according to insiders.
Discussion:
Mercury News, White House Dossier, Mediaite and Media Matters for America
Vaughn Hillyard / NBC News:
Pence Creates PAC ahead of 2018, 2020 Elections — Vice President Mike Pence is launching his own PAC — the “Great America Committee” — to aid his own future political interests, including helping Republican candidates ahead of the 2018 midterms. — The group, which filed paperwork …
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Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
Neil Gorsuch will be the enduring symbol of a disastrous presidency.
Neil Gorsuch will be the enduring symbol of a disastrous presidency.
Discussion:
Salon, Infowars, The Week, The Daily Caller, CNN, Newsmax and Common Dreams, more at Mediagazer »
Theodoric Meyer / Politico:
Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence
Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence
Discussion:
Infowars, Breitbart, The Resurgent, The Last Tradition, Vox Popoli, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Bloomberg and The Gateway Pundit
Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:
House Dems Smash Fundraising Records Ahead of Midterms — House Democrats have already raised more money in online contributions this year ahead of the midterms than they did during all of 2015, the most recently comparable year, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official told NBC News.
Discussion:
Politicus USA
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Trump isn't a toddler — he's a product of America's culture of impunity for the rich — “When you're a star, they let you do it.” — Ross Douthat's column arguing for the superiority of “25th Amendment remedies” to impeachment for Donald Trump's various misdeeds is impressive in its ability …
Alvin Chang / Vox:
We tracked the Trump scandals on right-wing news sites. Here's how they covered it. — We're experiencing these historical events very differently. — The past week of Trump scandals for people reading mainstream news outlets has gone something like this: President Trump fired …
Discussion:
CNBC
Alex Pfeiffer / The Daily Caller:
Pat Buchanan: It Isn't Watergate Yet, But How Long Can This Sustain? — Pat Buchanan says the nonstop uproar following Trump's firing of former FBI director James Comey is not comparable to Watergate, but he does wonder if the Trump presidency can function with this level of drama.
Discussion:
Vox Popoli
RELATED:
Rick Wilson / Washington Post:
If you work for Trump, it's time to quit — After the Comey firing and the Russia intel leak, the I'm-taking-one-for-the-team ship has sailed. — I've been a Republican political consultant for almost 30 years, and I've dispensed a lot of private advice.
Discussion:
Politicus USA