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Inside Trump's snap decision to ban transgender troops — After a week sparring with his attorney general and steaming over the Russia investigation consuming his agenda, President Donald Trump was closing in on an important win. — House Republicans were planning to pass a spending bill stacked …
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STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON TRANSGENDER AMERICANS IN THE MILITARY — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on President Trump's tweet regarding transgender Americans in the military:
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The Daily Caller, Fox News Insider, National Review, Business Insider, Politicus USA, Deadline and Mediaite

The military spends five times as much on Viagra as it would on transgender troops' medical care — On Twitter this morning, President Trump announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military, citing “medical costs” as the primary driver of the decision.
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Politico, Business Insider, IJR, Richard Dawkins Foundation, Vox, Mashable, ThinkProgress, CNBC and AOL, more at Techmeme »


Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military — WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will no longer “accept or allow” transgender people in the United States military, saying American forces “must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory” …


Trump Says Transgender People Cannot “Serve In Any Capacity” In The Military
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Shareblue, ABC News, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Mashable, UPI, AOL, WAVY-TV and Daily Kos

Trump “blindsided the Pentagon” with new military policy he got watching Fox News
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Media Matters for America, IJR and Daily Kos

Ernst breaks with Trump on transgender military ban
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Washington Post, Vox, Business Insider, IJR, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Hit & Run, IndieWire and RedState

Trump Bows to Religious Right, Bans Trans Troops
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No More Mister Nice Blog, IJR and Business Insider

Hatch: ‘Transgender people are people’
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Politico, Shareblue, Task & Purpose and The Daily Caller


Trump to ban transgender people from all military service
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House defeats bid to block Pentagon funding transgender surgeries
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Foreign Policy, Politico, Business Insider, Jezebel and New York Magazine

Trump announces ban on transgender people in U.S. military
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GOP senators break with Trump over transgender troop ban
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RedState, al.com, VICE News and Washington Post

Colorado Republican Ken Buck: “Any American ... should be allowed to serve” …
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The Atlantic

Trump to reinstate US military ban on transgender people
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‘Dancing with the Stars’ wants Sean Spicer … Sean Spicer is taking his first steps to transition from the White House briefing room to the bright lights of a TV news studio — but he's also being courted by “Dancing with the Stars,” Page Six has learned. — The outgoing press secretary spent …
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Townhall.com, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Jezebel, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week and Washington Free Beacon
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Why Did Jared Kushner Download an Encrypted, Disappearing Message App? — The list of people interested in Jared Kushner's communications history keeps growing: This week, the White House advisor and presidential son-in-law voluntarily handed over documents to the Senate intelligence committee …
Discussion:
Raw Story


The ‘Skinny Bill’ Is a Farce. Here's the Real Reason Republicans Are Doing It. — At times, various factions in Congress have called for repealing, replacing, or repairing Obamacare. Senate Republicans have been unable to agree on which of these ends to pursue, and so instead …
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Daily Kos
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The latest vote to repeal Obamacare fails in the Senate — But the debate lives on. — The Senate failed Wednesday to advance a bill that would have partially repealed Obamacare without replacing it, another step in the Senate health care debate that is likely heading toward a much more scaled-down bill.
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Axios and The Daily Caller


Senate rejects repeal-only ObamaCare plan
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RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and IJR

‘Skinny’ Obamacare repeal still lacks votes to pass
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Axios, Vox, USA Today, Hit & Run, Reuters, Washington Post, Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune

A Trump Tower of Absolute Folly — Donald Trump's campaign against his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in which he is seemingly attempting to insult and humiliate and tweet-shame Sessions into resignation, is an insanely stupid exercise. It is a multitiered tower of political idiocy …
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CNN, Breitbart, JustOneMinute, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly and Talking Points Memo
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Jeff Sessions won't take Trump's hint
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Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Politico, Business Insider, neo-neocon, Washington Examiner and The Mahablog

Tucker Calrissian Tonight
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Fox News Insider, The Guardian and The Rush Limbaugh Show

Sessions to announce investigations into intelligence leaks: source
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Townhall.com, Axios, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, The Week and Talking Points Memo


Matt Drudge is firing warning shots at Trump, and that should worry the president — Conway: White House staff is tough, but humble — Matt Drudge has been in the White House an awful lot these days — “all the time,” as one senior administration official puts it.
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The Week


Foxconn to announce billions in investments and thousands of jobs for Wisconsin — MADISON - Foxconn Technology Group will announce at the White House on Wednesday its plans to build a massive plant in Wisconsin that would employ thousands. — The project could reshape the economy …
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New York Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business, more at Techmeme »
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Steve Bannon Pushing For 44 Percent Marginal Tax Rate On The Very Rich — Top White House adviser Steve Bannon is pushing for tax reform to include a new 44 percent top marginal tax rate, hitting people who earn more than $5 million a year, with the revenue paying for tax cuts for the rest …
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Raw Story and The Daily Caller


DOJ: Ex-Manafort Associate Firtash Is Top-Tier Comrade of Russian Mobsters — The Department of Justice has identified a former business associate of ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as an “upper-echelon [associate] of Russian organized crime.” — The declaration came in a 115-page filing …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story


Gowdy Acted Like Kushner's Lawyer Behind Closed Doors, Democrat Says — Gowdy says Democrats ‘ran out of questions’ for Kushner — Intelligence panel interviewed Kushner as part of Russia probe — Republican Trey Gowdy acted behind closed doors like a lawyer for President Donald Trump's son-in-law …
Discussion:
Politico and Weekly Standard


Angelina Jolie Solo — Photographs by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Styled by Jessica Diehl. … Like most things involving Angelina Jolie, stepping foot into her house is an experience so heightened one wonders if it's for real or the product of careful orchestration.
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Splinter


Welcome to The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful! — After receiving hundreds upon hundreds of nominations, it was tough to choose just 50. — But following a lot of debate, we finalized this year's winners. — There is one thing that's different than our prior lists.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and John Hawkins' Right Wing News


Health Care Vote: Senate Rejects Repeal Without Replace — • The Senate on Wednesday afternoon rejected a proposal to repeal major parts of the Affordable Care Act without providing a replacement. Follow the live vote tracker to see how each senator voted.
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ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Townhall.com, Political Insider blog, Jezebel, Refinery29, Axios, TalkLeft, New York Times, IJR, The Week, NBC News, Hit & Run, Rewire, Mediaite, Vox and Daily Kos

State Department head of diplomatic security resigns — The head of the State Department's diplomatic security bureau has resigned and will leave his post on Thursday, leaving the two top positions vacant for the foreseeable future in the bureau in charge of embassy security around the world.