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.
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PBS NewsHour, Daily Mail, Hot Air, Mediaite, Politicus USA, The Week, Balloon Juice, Mashable, Raw Story, Politico and ABC News
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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, USA Today, Politico, CNN, Mother Jones, Politicus USA, The Week, Axios, AOL, Booman Tribune, BuzzFeed, Mashable, VTDigger, Washington Post, The Last Tradition, Fox News Insider, PRI, Just Security, The Root and The Atlantic
New York Times:
Senate Inquiries Narrow as Rosenstein Suggests Plan to Fire Comey Predated Memo — WASHINGTON — Republican senators signaled on Thursday that the Justice Department's special counsel investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election and possible collusion by associates …
Discussion:
The Hill, ABC News and Washington Post
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
That Didn't Go Great — Let me share a few thoughts …
That Didn't Go Great — Let me share a few thoughts …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:
Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump
Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump
Discussion:
Political Wire
New York Times:
Anthony Weiner to Plead Guilty to Resolve ‘Sexting’ Inquiry — Anthony D. Weiner, the former Democratic congressman whose “sexting” scandals ended his political career and embroiled him in a tumultuous F.B.I. investigation of Hillary Clinton before the election, is to appear in a federal courtroom …
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RedState, New York's PIX11, Gothamist, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, Political Wire, National Review and AOL
New York Times:
Julian Assange Rape Investigation Is Dropped in Sweden — 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 …
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IJR, Scared Monkeys and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
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Mynewsdesk:
Statement on Julian Assange — BST — Following today's decision by the Director of Public Prosecution, Ms Marianne Ny, in relation to the Swedish authorities investigation into Julian Assange the Metropolitan Police Service's position is: — Westminster Magistrates' Court issued …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Forbes, The Verge, The Daily Caller, RT, Gizmodo, Engadget and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »
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
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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Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
Yes, GOP leaders were making a joke about Putin and Trump. But then it sunk in.
Yes, GOP leaders were making a joke about Putin and Trump. But then it sunk in.
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
House leaders worry more meetings secretly recorded
House leaders worry more meetings secretly recorded
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Week, Political Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, RedState, Shareblue, The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo, Salon, ThinkProgress, twitchy.com and Balloon Juice
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:
Hot Air, 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
Donald Trump Talked Michael Flynn Into White House Job
Discussion:
RedState, Refinery29, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air, CNBC, Washington Post, USA Today, Mediaite, Townhall.com, Raw Story, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, The Week, BuzzFeed, ThinkProgress, The Mahablog, Axios, Little Green Footballs, Vox, IJR, twitchy.com, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Politicus USA, New York Magazine and Politico
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
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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Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Roger Ailes Was One of the Worst Americans Ever
Roger Ailes Was One of the Worst Americans Ever
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USA Today, The Nation, New York Times, Refinery29, IJR, The Week, Common Dreams, Mediaite, Mashable, RedState, AOL, Media Matters for America, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Root
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:
Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, Power Line and No More Mister Nice Blog
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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
Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump meets with lawyers at the White House
Trump meets with lawyers at the White House
Discussion:
Axios, Hot Air, The Hill, AOL, RedState, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel, Raw Story and New York Times
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:
Politicus USA, 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
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
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:
Washington Post, 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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Dan Merica / CNN:
Wooed by Trump's promises, opioid advocates now worry they were all empty — Opioids create generation of American orphans — Washington (CNN)Erin Canterbury had voted for New Hampshire Democrats for over a decade. Then she met Donald Trump at a roundtable on the state's opioid epidemic …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Charles Krauthammer / National Review:
The Guardrails of American Democracy Can't Contain Trump — But that doesn't mean he should be removed via the 25th Amendment. — The pleasant surprise of the first 100 days is over. The action was hectic, heated, often confused, but well within the bounds of normalcy.
Discussion:
Axios
Tessa Stuart / Rolling Stone:
Elizabeth Warren Tests the Waters for 2020 — Massachusetts senator waded into the flamewar for the soul of the Democratic Party Tuesday — Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday waded into the flamewar for the soul of the Democratic Party that Bernie Sanders started in 2016, with an impassioned speech decrying …
Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge:
Senate Demands White House Tapes, Comey Memos On Just About Everyone — Following Jason Chaffetz' lead from last night, the Senate Judiciary Committee has demanded that The FBI hand over all Comey's memos “memorializing interactions” with Trump, Obama, Sessions, Lynch, Rosenstein, Boente, and Yates...
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Vox Popoli
New York Times:
A Basquiat Sells for ‘Mind-Blowing’ $110.5 Million at Auction — Joining the rarefied $100 million-plus club in a salesroom punctuated by periodic gasps from the crowd, Jean-Michel Basquiat's powerful 1982 painting of a skull brought $110.5 million at Sotheby's, to become the sixth most expensive work ever sold at auction.
Discussion:
Daily Mail