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:
Mashable, Daily Mail, Balloon Juice, Politicus USA, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Week, Raw Story, Politico, Betsy's Page, Infowars, 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:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, CNN, Politicus USA, Mother Jones, The Week, Axios, AOL, Booman Tribune, BuzzFeed, Washington Post, Mashable, VTDigger, Fox News Insider, The Last Tradition, PRI, Just Security, The Root, The Atlantic, IJR and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:
Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump
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 …
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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 …
Vaughn Hillyard / NBC News:
Source: Pence Never Informed About Flynn — Vice President Mike Pence has been kept in the dark about former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn's alleged wrongdoing, according to a source close to the administration, who cited a potential “pattern” of not informing the vice president and calling it …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Political Wire and NBC News
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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
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, Mediaite, CNBC, Townhall.com, Raw Story, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, The Mahablog, The Week, Axios, Little Green Footballs, IJR, Daily Kos, twitchy.com, New York Magazine, Shakesville, Politicus USA, Politico, RedState, Yahoo, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze
Jason Willick / The American Interest:
After Mueller, Trump Critics Worry: Maybe There's No Scandal — Eli Lake is right: The DOJ's appointment of widely-respected former prosecutor Robert Mueller to lead the special inquiry into the Trump campaign's potential collusion with Russia is a reprieve for a Trump Administration in crisis …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Common Dreams, Power Line, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Bloomberg
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Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump meets with lawyers at the White House
Trump meets with lawyers at the White House
Discussion:
New York Times, Axios, The Hill, AOL, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, RedState, The Times of Israel and Raw Story
New York Times:
Advisers Urge Trump to Hire Outside Lawyer in Russia Inquiry
Advisers Urge Trump to Hire Outside Lawyer in Russia Inquiry
Discussion:
CNBC, Raw Story, Hot Air, Daily Kos, RedState, Politicus USA, The Week, The Daily Caller, JustOneMinute, Political Wire and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Kranish / Washington Post:
Trump needs private attorney to navigate complex probe, his ex-lawyer says
Trump needs private attorney to navigate complex probe, his ex-lawyer says
Discussion:
The Hill, Power Line, RedState, Axios and Wall Street Journal
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win — WASHINGTON — As Saudi Arabia's leaders prepared to make a pitch to the White House for a visit by President Trump, a PowerPoint presentation was put together complete with slides describing Saudi demographics …
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Annie Karni / Politico:
Ivanka and Jared get a rabbinical pass to fly Air Force One — Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will be flying aboard Air Force One to Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump on Friday, after receiving a rabbinical dispensation to travel on the Jewish Sabbath, according to a White House official.
Discussion:
ABC News, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and The Times of Israel
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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Media Matters for America:
How To Remember Roger Ailes
How To Remember Roger Ailes
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USA Today, Media Matters for America, The Hill, The Daily Signal, IJR, AOL, Mediaite and NPR
Michael Wolff / Hollywood Reporter:
Michael Wolff on Roger Ailes' Final Days and a Complicated Murdoch Relationship
Michael Wolff on Roger Ailes' Final Days and a Complicated Murdoch Relationship
Discussion:
New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
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, The Resurgent and Washington Post
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Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Joe Lieberman might be FBI director. Really.
Joe Lieberman might be FBI director. Really.
Discussion:
Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, ABC News, CNN, Mediaite, IJR, Newsweek, RedState, Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon, Political Wire and Hot Air
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:
Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Shareblue, NPR, The Atlantic, twitchy.com, Politico, The Daily Caller, Vox, Washington Post and TheBlaze
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Rachael Bade / Politico:
Gowdy poised to replace Chaffetz as Oversight chief
Gowdy poised to replace Chaffetz as Oversight chief
Discussion:
New York Magazine, DCist, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Axios and Talking Points Memo
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Appointment of Mueller could complicate other probes into alleged Russian meddling
Appointment of Mueller could complicate other probes into alleged Russian meddling
Discussion:
Lawfare
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:
Infowars, The Week, Washington Post, Fox News Insider, Balloon Juice and Common Dreams
New York Times:
Sweden Drops Investigation of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder — STOCKHOLM — Prosecutors in Sweden said on Friday that they would drop their investigation into Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who sought refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London five years ago after the authorities …
Discussion:
The Verge and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
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, New York Magazine and Axios
NBC News:
State Department Summons Turkish Ambassador After Bloody Brawl in D.C. — Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kiliç was called in to the State Department to meet with U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's guards violently entered a crowd of protesters, U.S. officials said Thursday.
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New York Times:
F.B.I. Once Warned G.O.P. Congressman That Russian Spies Were Recruiting Him — WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. warned a Republican congressman in 2012 that Russian spies were trying to recruit him, officials said, an example of how aggressively Russian agents have tried to influence Washington politics.
Discussion:
Political Wire, Raw Story and Washington Post
New York Times:
U.S. Warplanes in Syria Hit Pro-Government Militia Convoy — WASHINGTON — American warplanes in southern Syria attacked a convoy of pro-government forces on Thursday after they ignored warnings and violated a restricted zone around a base where American and British Special Forces …
Discussion:
Fox News, Power Line and Just Security
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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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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 …
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Tom LoBianco / CNN:
First on CNN: Devin Nunes continues reviewing Russia intelligence, despite recusal
First on CNN: Devin Nunes continues reviewing Russia intelligence, despite recusal
Discussion:
Politicus USA