Top Items:
Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:
Special counsel is investigating Jared Kushner's business dealings — Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller is investigating the finances and business dealings of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and adviser, as part of the probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Axios, Business Insider, Mediaite, Political Wire, IJR, Death and Taxes, The Washington Journal, CNBC, The Last Tradition, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Conservative News Today, The Daily Caller, Politico, neo-neocon, NBC News, ThinkProgress, Daily Mail, ABC News, Daily Wire, Power Line, BBC, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Vox, National Review, Hullabaloo, Shakesville, The Week, Refinery29, AOL, KTLA, CBS Miami, Washington Free Beacon and electionlawblog.org
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Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia probe inquiries — Vice President Mike Pence has hired outside legal counsel to help with both congressional committee inquiries and the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russia.
Discussion:
Politico, Raw Story, The Hill, FiveThirtyEight, Liberal Values, BuzzFeed, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Mediaite, New York Times, CNBC, Daily Kos, The Washington Journal, ABC News, Death and Taxes, Shareblue, Axios, Talking Points Memo, IJR, New York Magazine, Fox News Insider, Political Wire, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Washington Free Beacon, Balloon Juice, New York's PIX11, Business Insider, Power Line and CBS Philly
Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:
Lobbyist for Russian interests says he attended dinners hosted by Sessions — Richard Burt contradicts Jeff Sessions' testimony that he didn't believe he had contacts with lobbyists working for Russian interests during Trump's campaign … An American lobbyist for Russian interests …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Washington Journal, Shareblue, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine and Politicus USA
Josh Dawsey / Politico:
White House aides fret over Trump's Russia probe obsession — Donald Trump received three separate assurances from then-FBI Director James Comey that the president was not personally under investigation — but he may now be under investigation because he couldn't let his obsession go.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Axios, The Washington Journal, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Booman Tribune and New York Magazine
Graham Lanktree / Newsweek:
TRUMP TRIED TO CONVINCE NSA CHIEF TO ABSOLVE HIM OF ANY RUSSIAN COLLUSION: REPORT
TRUMP TRIED TO CONVINCE NSA CHIEF TO ABSOLVE HIM OF ANY RUSSIAN COLLUSION: REPORT
Alice Ollstein / Talking Points Memo:
Report: Sessions Dined With Lobbyist For Russian Corps, Omitted It In Testimony
Report: Sessions Dined With Lobbyist For Russian Corps, Omitted It In Testimony
Discussion:
Death and Taxes and The Week
Diamond Naga Siu / Politico:
Putin offers James Comey asylum
Putin offers James Comey asylum
Discussion:
TASS, NPR, The Resurgent, Booman Tribune, Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon
New York Times:
Secrecy Surrounding Senate Health Bill Raises Alarms in Both Parties — WASHINGTON — As they draft legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republican leaders are aiming to transform large sections of the American health care system without a single hearing on their bill and without a formal, open drafting session.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Shareblue, NBC News and Political Wire
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Sarah Kliff / Vox:
I've covered Obamacare since day one. I've never seen lying and obstruction like this. — Republicans do not want the country to know what is in their health care bill. — This has become more evident each day, as the Senate plots out a secretive path toward Obamacare repeal …
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Mother Jones
Ezra Klein / Vox:
Republicans are about to make Medicare-for-all much more likely
Republicans are about to make Medicare-for-all much more likely
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, rubber hose and Mother Jones
Lenny Bernstein / Washington Post:
Why a single gunshot to Steve Scalise's hip could be life-threatening — For those of us who experience gun violence via movies or television, the single bullet wound to the hip that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise suffered in a ballfield shooting Wednesday would seem less serious than what could have happened to him.
Discussion:
NPR and New York Magazine
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Sadie Gurman / AP News:
The Latest: Scalise still critical but improved
The Latest: Scalise still critical but improved
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Axios
Jack Date / ABC News:
Gun used in Scalise shooting was legally purchased assault rifle, sources say
Gun used in Scalise shooting was legally purchased assault rifle, sources say
Discussion:
Associated Press, IJR, twitchy.com, WJLA-TV and Politico
Caitlin Dewey / Washington Post:
The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows — Seven percent of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to a nationally representative online survey commissioned by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Mother Jones, TheBlaze, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, WCMH-TV, Consumerist, AOL, The Week, grubstreet and Althouse
9news.com.au:
Leaked audio reveals Malcolm Turnbull roasting Donald Trump over ‘fake polls’ and Russia — Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull isn't known for being a comedian but he tried some daring Donald Trump material on a room full of journalists in Canberra last night.
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David Nakamura / Washington Post:
Trump said foreign leaders wouldn't laugh at the U.S. Now they're laughing at him.
Trump said foreign leaders wouldn't laugh at the U.S. Now they're laughing at him.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Michelle Ye Hee Lee / Washington Post:
The bogus claim that a map of crosshairs by Sarah Palin's PAC incited Rep. Gabby Giffords's shooting — “Was this attack evidence of how vicious American politics has become? Probably. In 2011, Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a supermarket parking lot, grievously wounding Representative Gabby Giffords …
Discussion:
IJR, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and New York Times
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Joseph Bernstein / BuzzFeed:
We Got Our Hands On A Draft Of Milo Yiannopoulos's Book. It's Awful. — There's a certain kind of book you really see only at the airport. You know what it looks like: glossy, with an airbrushed famous person on the cover and a catchy title. You know what it reads like: frothy …
Justin Sink / Bloomberg:
Trump Orders Government to Stop Work on Y2K Bug, 17 Years Later — The White House is eliminating paperwork for federal agencies — Federal workers still report on preparedness for year 2000 — Seventeen years after the Year 2000 bug came and went, the federal government will finally stop preparing for it.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and Axios
Kyle Hicks / Fox 59:
Several shots fired at truck flying ‘Make America Great Again’ flag on I-465 — INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indiana State Police say shots were fired at a truck carrying a “Make America Great Again” flag and an American flag on eastbound I-465 Tuesday. — Officers believe the shots were fired …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Infowars, RedState, Fox News Insider and The Last Tradition
Kenneth W. Starr / Washington Post:
Firing Mueller would be an insult to the Founding Fathers — Kenneth W. Starr, a former U.S. solicitor general and federal judge, served as independent counsel in the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky investigations during the Clinton administration. — In the natural rhythm of government …
Discussion:
Althouse
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Poll: Majority thinks Trump tried to meddle in Russia probe — A majority of American adults in a new poll thinks President Trump has tried to interfere in the investigation into the Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential race. — An Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, AOL and Washington Post
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Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Poll: Majority thinks Trump has little to no respect for country's institutions
Poll: Majority thinks Trump has little to no respect for country's institutions
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Little Green Footballs and Political Wire
Reuters:
Trump to limit Cuba travel, restrict business deals with military: U.S. officials — President Donald Trump on Friday will announce a plan to tighten rules on Americans traveling to Cuba and significantly restrict U.S. companies from doing business with Cuban enterprises controlled by the military …
Discussion:
Axios
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Marc Caputo / Politico:
Inside Marco Rubio's campaign to shape Trump's Cuba crackdown
Inside Marco Rubio's campaign to shape Trump's Cuba crackdown
Discussion:
Washington Post and RedState
David Mack / BuzzFeed:
Commerce Department Removes Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity From Equal Employment Policy — The department had explicitly included sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination policies as far back as 2010. After this story was published, the department said they will re-issue the policy.
Discussion:
Metro Weekly, LGBTQ Nation, Refinery29 and IJR
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Hill GOP stunned, disappointed Trump called their bill “mean” — President Trump's private comment earlier this week that the House healthcare bill was “mean” is having a lingering, and potentially devastating, effect on his credibility along House Republicans.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Althouse and Business Insider
Chris Massie / CNN:
GOP Rep. Steve King: Obama partly to blame for climate that led to Scalise shooting — (CNN)Republican Rep. Steve King said Wednesday he partly blames former president Barack Obama for the divided political climate that he argues led to the shooting of House Majority Whip and three others on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Daily Kos, The Washington Journal and Talking Points Memo
Dave Lawler / Axios:
Justice Dept. releases cryptic statement on leaks — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Russia probe due to Jeff Sessions' recusal, released an unorthodox statement Thursday night: … The general reaction, summed up by the NY Times' Maggie Haberman, “Have literally never seen a statement like this.”
Discussion:
Political Wire
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Rage Is All the Rage, and It's Dangerous — A generation of media figures are cratering under the historical pressure of Donald Trump. — What we are living through in America is not only a division but a great estrangement. It is between those who support Donald Trump and those who despise him …
New York Times:
How We Became Bitter Political Enemies — It wasn't long after a gunman opened fire on members of a Republican congressional baseball team on Wednesday that the emotional calls for unity began. — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan described the shooting as “an attack on all of us.”
Manu Raju / CNN:
Senate intel panel to steer clear of Trump obstruction question — Washington Post: Mueller investigating Trump — (CNN)The Senate intelligence committee won't probe whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice over the FBI's investigation into his former associates and their contacts …
Discussion:
Politico, Politicus USA, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Axios
Patrick Marion Bradley / Washington Post:
What happens to people who can't prove who they are? — Patricia Brown couldn't prove her identity. On a Saturday morning in May last year, she rushed into the basement of Washington's Foundry United Methodist Church, frantic that she would miss its I.D. Ministry hours.
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
What Trump Has to Fear From Mueller — Special counsels can run amok. One went after me once for the crime of forgetfulness.
Discussion:
The Resurgent and New York Magazine
Facebook:
Hard Questions: How We Counter Terrorism — By Monika Bickert, Director of Global Policy Management, and Brian Fishman, Counterterrorism Policy Manager — In the wake of recent terror attacks, people have questioned the role of tech companies in fighting terrorism online.
Discussion:
Breitbart, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, New York Times, Engadget, The Verge, Mashable, Fast Company and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
Andrew MacDowall / The Guardian:
Serbia gets its first female - and gay - prime minister — President Aleksandar Vui announces appointment of Ana Brnabi, 41, a graduate of the University of Hull … A gay woman has been appointed prime minister of Serbia in a double first for the EU-candidate state.
Discussion:
The Atlantic
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Feds Look to Seize ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Rights and Leonardo DiCaprio's Art — The government asserts that funding for Red Granite films came from stolen Malaysian funds and that Leonardo DiCaprio was gifted artwork purchased with embezzled money. The actor has already turned over a Marlon Brando Oscar.