Top Items:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Comey Is Said to Have Become Unsettled by Interactions With Trump — WASHINGTON — President Trump called the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, weeks after he took office and asked him when federal authorities were going to put out word that Mr. Trump was not personally under investigation, according to two people briefed on the call.
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite, Politicus USA, Balloon Juice, The Week, Raw Story, Infowars, Betsy's Page, SOOPERMEXICAN and Fox News Insider
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Bwittes / Lawfare:
What James Comey Told Me About Donald Trump — The New York Times is reporting tonight: … I did not know this particular fact, but it doesn't surprise me at all. The principal source for the rest of this story is, well, me—specifically a long interview I gave to reporter Michael Schmidt …
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, CNN, Washington Post, Politicus USA, AOL, Mashable, Booman Tribune, PRI, Just Security, Talking Points Memo, Infowars, New York Post and The Week
New York Times:
Advisers Urge Trump to Hire Outside Lawyer in Russia Inquiry — WASHINGTON — Several White House advisers and personal associates of President Trump have urged him to hire an experienced outside lawyer to help him deal with issues arising from a surging controversy over whether his campaign …
Discussion:
CNBC, Raw Story, RedState, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, The Week, JustOneMinute, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and The Federalist
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:
Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump
Discussion:
Political Wire
Billy House / Bloomberg:
House May Be Forced to Vote Again on GOP's Obamacare Repeal Bill — Two weeks after passage, measure still not sent to Senate — CBO report could force Ryan, other party leaders into redo — House Republicans barely managed to pass their Obamacare repeal bill earlier this month …
Discussion:
Vox, ACASignups.net, Daily Kos, NBC News, Politico, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Politicus USA, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Wire
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
House leaders worry more meetings secretly recorded — House Republican leadership is agitated after the Washington Post published a transcript from a secret recording of one of the inner-sanctum conversations in the office of Speaker Paul Ryan. — The transcript shows House Majority …
The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Talked Michael Flynn Into White House Job … President Donald Trump pressured a “reluctant” Michael Flynn into accepting a job as the White House's top national security official even after Flynn warned the president that he was under investigation over undisclosed lobbying …
Discussion:
Hot Air, USA Today, Washington Post, Reuters, Mediaite, CNBC, Raw Story, Townhall.com, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, The Mahablog, Axios, Politico, The Week, RedState, IJR, Politicus USA, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, HuffPost, Shareblue, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Shakesville, Balloon Juice, National Review and Media Matters for America
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Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump meets with lawyers at the White House — President Donald Trump convened his legal team on Thursday to discuss the escalating investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. — The huddle, according to four people briefed …
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, The Atlantic, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, RedState, The Times of Israel, AOL, New York Times and Raw Story
Jason Willick / The American Interest:
After Mueller, Trump Critics Worry: Maybe There's No Scandal
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Atlantic, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, Power Line and No More Mister Nice Blog
Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:
As investigators circled Flynn, he got a message from Trump: Stay strong
Discussion:
Washington Times, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, BuzzFeed, Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos, The Guardian, The Week, Political Wire, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Shakesville, New York Magazine, CNBC, twitchy.com, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Raw Story, Politicus USA and The Atlantic
Jason Chaffetz / Chaffetz:
Chaffetz Letter to Utah's 3rd Congressional District — f t # e — Dear 3rd District Constituents: — Serving you in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly nine years has been a rare honor and privilege. When I first ran for Congress in 2008 I promised I would get in, serve, and get out.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, NPR, The Atlantic, twitchy.com, Shareblue, Vox, The Daily Caller, Washington Post and TheBlaze
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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.
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Gowdy poised to replace Chaffetz as Oversight chief
Discussion:
New York Magazine, DCist, IJR, Axios and Washington Free Beacon
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Joe Lieberman might be FBI director. Really. — The perfect choice for America's troll-in-chief. — Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic senator from Connecticut with a complicated history with his political party, has emerged as the frontrunner to replace the now-fired James Comey as FBI director …
Discussion:
Newsweek, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, Political Wire and Hot Air
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Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Senate Democrats reject Lieberman for FBI director — President Donald Trump may be dramatically miscalculating how much support Sen. Joe Lieberman would have among his former Democratic colleagues if nominated to become FBI director. — Some Senate Democrats hold a grudge against Lieberman …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Washington Post
Bill O'Reilly / USA Today:
Roger Ailes had my back at Fox News — Roger experienced hatred, and it killed him. — CONNECT — To say that Roger Ailes led a full life is a massive understatement. A force of nature with an agenda, RA, as fellow executives called him, was a man on a mission.
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Jenna McLaughlin / Foreign Policy:
Trump Team Planning Possible Retaliation for Classified Leak Allegations — White House officials concoct “ludicrous” revenge plan targeting former Obama administration. — President Donald Trump's inner circle is war-gaming how best to respond to the Washington Post's bombshell report …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, Fox News Insider, Common Dreams, ThinkProgress and Just Security
Elizabeth Landers / CNN:
Pence is a loyal solider, but news cycle is wearing on him — What did Mike Pence know about Flynn? — Story highlights — Washington (CNN)After a fast and furious news cycle at the White House this week, the last few days may have worn on Vice President Mike Pence.
Discussion:
The Week
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
That Didn't Go Great — Let me share a few thoughts on the press conference President Trump just held with the President of Colombia. In the nature of the moment, I'll just focus on the questions President Trump fielded on the investigations. — First, on question one …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
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Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
Senate Dems: Deputy AG knew Comey was being removed before writing memo
Discussion:
Politico and Political Wire
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Trump: Special counsel appointment ‘hurts the country’
Discussion:
Power Line, Washington Post, RedState, Politico and Axios
The Hill:
WATCH: FBI investigation ‘not’ a witch hunt, GOP rep says — A handful of Republicans on Thursday disputed President Trump's classification of the FBI investigation into his campaign's alleged ties to Russia as a “witch hunt.” — When asked if he considered the probe …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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William Cummings / USA Today:
Special counsel vs. special prosecutor: What's the difference?
Discussion:
Fox News, ThinkProgress, neo-neocon, Daily Kos, emptywheel and Reuters
CBS News:
U.S. aircraft conduct strike on Syrian army convoy — BEIRUT — The U.S. sent aircraft to strike Syrian regime vehicles on Thursday that violated a deconfliction zone set up around al-Tanf, an army base where special forces are training Syrian militias, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
Discussion:
Reuters, Congressman Ted Lieu, RedState, Common Dreams, The Atlantic, CBS New York and IJR
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Noam N. Levey / Los Angeles Times:
Health insurers and state officials say Trump is undermining Obamacare, pushing up rates — President Trump meets in February with the heads of major health insurers. Many industry officials and state regulators now believe they cannot rely on Trump to effectively manage the country's insurance markets.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Axios and New York Magazine
Tom LoBianco / CNN:
First on CNN: House Russia investigators get access to Treasury data — (CNN)Investigators on the House intelligence committees have obtained access to valuable data from the Treasury Department, a development that will open their doors to investigate possible connections between President …
RELATED:
Tom LoBianco / CNN:
First on CNN: Devin Nunes continues reviewing Russia intelligence, despite recusal
Discussion:
Politicus USA
CNN:
US summoned Turkish ambassador after protester violence — Protest turns violent after Erdogan-Trump meet — Washington (CNN)Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Klç was summoned to the State Department on Wednesday following the violent beating of protesters that took place outside …
Discussion:
National Review, The Atlantic and Hot Air
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Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Video Emerges Of Turkey's President Watching As His Goons Attack Protesters [VIDEO]
Discussion:
Voice of America and Mediaite
Des Moines Register:
Planned Parenthood to close four Iowa clinics after legislative defunding — Planned Parenthood of the Heartland said Thursday it is closing four clinics in Iowa in response to state legislation passed by majority Republican lawmakers that blocks public money for family planning services to abortion providers.
Discussion:
LifeNews.com, Mother Jones, Iowa Starting Line and The Daily Caller
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Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
‘Mom’ Trades Emmy Campaign for $250K Donation to Planned Parenthood
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Mashable
Sam J. / twitchy.com:
'Stop making sh*t up. " Guy Benson posts Comey footage, throws wrench into Trump memo conspiracy — From Comey's own mouth: … In his experience they have not been told to stop an FBI investigation for political reasons. — Guy Benson's tweetstorm about Comey, the footage and the need for further testimony is brilliant:
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