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:
Hot Air, Politico, Shakesville, Daily Mail, The Week, Mashable, Politicus USA, Washington Post, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, Axios 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:
ThinkProgress, PBS NewsHour, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Washington Times, Axios, Politico, Hot Air, CNN, Politicus USA, Washington Post, The Week, Booman Tribune, AOL, BuzzFeed, Mashable, The Last Tradition, VTDigger, Fox News Insider, PRI and The Root, more at Mediagazer »
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:
ABC News and Washington Post
Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge:
Senate Demands White House Tapes, Comey Memos On Just About Everyone
Senate Demands White House Tapes, Comey Memos On Just About Everyone
Discussion:
Vox Popoli
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 …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Axios, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Townhall.com, RedState, New York Magazine, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Gizmodo, Outside the Beltway, The Root, IJR, Refinery29, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Week, New York's PIX11, Gothamist, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, Political Wire, twitchy.com, National Review, AOL and Althouse
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Aaron Katersky / ABC News:
Anthony Weiner expected to plead guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor
Anthony Weiner expected to plead guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and John Hawkins' Right Wing News
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 …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, BuzzFeed, Daily Kos, Raw Story and The Week
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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
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:
ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Mediaite, Political Wire, NBC News and USA Today
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Dylan Matthews / Vox:
Why the special counsel should make Trump's aides very nervous — The Department of Justice investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia isn't just a scandal about the president's conduct. The investigation could quickly engulf those surrounding the president — including his next in line.
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Monthly and CNN
Elizabeth Landers / CNN:
Pence is a loyal solider, but news cycle is wearing on him
Pence is a loyal solider, but news cycle is wearing on him
Discussion:
The Week
Isaac Chotiner / Slate:
We Live in the World Roger Ailes Broke — Roger Ailes, the former head of the Fox News Channel, passed away on Thursday at the age of 77. The news was announced via a statement from his wife, Elizabeth, who wrote that “his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions.”
Discussion:
Political Insider blog, more at Mediagazer »
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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
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, Mediaite, USA Today, The Nation, New York Times, Refinery29, IJR, The Week, Common Dreams, Mashable, RedState, AOL, Media Matters for America and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Bill O'Reilly / USA Today:
Roger Ailes had my back at Fox News
Roger Ailes had my back at Fox News
Discussion:
TVNewser, AOL, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Week, TheBlaze, Deadline, White House Dossier, Fox News and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
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:
ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week, Political Wire, Shareblue, Hullabaloo, Salon and Washington Post
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 …
Discussion:
IJR, Scared Monkeys and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Mynewsdesk:
Statement on Julian Assange
Statement on Julian Assange
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Heat Street, The Verge, Forbes, Gizmodo, RT, Engadget, The Daily Caller and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »
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.
Discussion:
The National Interest, Breitbart, Axios and Daily Kos
Mark Hensch / The Hill:
GOP rep: Comey may testify as soon as next week … Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) says that former FBI Director James Comey could break his silence as soon as next week following his firing by President Trump. — Experts had speculated that Comey might be unlikely to accept the slew …
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Jeff Poor / Breitbart:
Dershowitz Questions Purpose of Special Counsel — ‘What Is the Crime?’
Dershowitz Questions Purpose of Special Counsel — ‘What Is the Crime?’
Discussion:
White House Dossier
Jason Willick / The American Interest:
After Mueller, Trump Critics Worry: Maybe There's No Scandal
After Mueller, Trump Critics Worry: Maybe There's No Scandal
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Common Dreams and Talking Points Memo
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Biden disses Clinton: ‘I never thought she was a great candidate. I thought I was a great candidate.’ — Former vice president Joe Biden stirred the Democratic pot a little bit on Thursday night. — Appearing at the SALT hedge fund conference in Las Vegas, the possible 2020 presidential candidate weighed …
Discussion:
Political Wire, CNN and The Week
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John Bowden / The Hill:
Biden on Clinton: ‘I never thought she was a great candidate’
Biden on Clinton: ‘I never thought she was a great candidate’
Discussion:
IJR, Mediaite, TheBlaze and The Daily Caller
Cameron Easley / Morning Consult:
Trump's Approval Sinks Further Amid Avalanche of Bad Headlines — Political observers have said it's been a very bad week for President Donald Trump, and that notion is underscored by a new Morning Consult/POLITICO survey that shows his support continues to decline as many voters expressed concern about his fitness for office.
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Democrats are falling for fake news about Russia — Why liberal conspiracy theories are flourishing in the age of Trump. — President Donald Trump is about to resign as a result of the Russia scandal. Bernie Sanders and Sean Hannity are Russian agents.
John Bowden / The Hill:
‘Art of the Deal’ co-writer: Trump will resign so he doesn't ‘lose’ — The co-writer of President Trump's bestselling book “The Art of the Deal” predicted Thursday that Trump will resign before he is consumed by one of the scandals rocking the White House. — In an interview with CNN …
Discussion:
RedState
Rachel B. Tiven / The Nation:
THE AIRPORT LAWYERS WHO STOOD UP TO TRUMP ARE UNDER ATTACK — The Department of Justice is perverting a rule to shut down immigrant-rights lawyers. — While the country has been fixated on President Trump's firings, leaks and outbursts involving the Department of Justice …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Above the Law
Robert Snell / Detroit News:
Feds use anti-terror tool to hunt the undocumented — Detroit — Federal investigators are using a cellphone snooping device designed for counter-terrorism to hunt undocumented immigrants amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, according to federal court records obtained by The Detroit News.
Discussion:
The Verge
Ronald A. Klain / Washington Post:
Don't underestimate Trump — Ron Klain, a Post contributing columnist, served as a senior White House aide to Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and was a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. — Last October, we were in the midst of debate preparation for Hillary Clinton …