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Josh Dawsey / Politico:
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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mccain.senate.gov:
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:
Stephen Losey / Air Force Times:
Transgender airman: ‘I would like to see them try to kick me out of my military’ — After President Trump's surprise announcement Wednesday barring transgender people from serving “in any capacity” in the military, one prominent transgender airman said he's more determined than ever to continue serving in the Air Force.
Discussion:
VICE News, Politicus USA, TheBlaze and Mashable
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Pence, Bannon pushed for transgender troop ban
Pence, Bannon pushed for transgender troop ban
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite and Business Insider
Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:
The military spends five times as much on Viagra as it would on transgender troops' medical care
The military spends five times as much on Viagra as it would on transgender troops' medical care
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USA Today, Bloomberg, HuffPost, Task & Purpose, Media Matters for America, Business Insider, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress, STAT, Vox, Refinery29, AOL, CNBC, The Atlantic, Politico, CNN, Mashable, NBC News, VICE News, twitchy.com and Raw Story
Paul Szoldra / Business Insider:
Kristin Beck, transgender Navy SEAL hero: 'Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy'
Kristin Beck, transgender Navy SEAL hero: 'Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy'
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The Daily Caller, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, Shareblue, The Week, The Last Tradition, Task & Purpose, AOL and IJR
Eric Boehlert / Shareblue:
Trump “blindsided the Pentagon” with new military policy he got watching Fox News
Trump “blindsided the Pentagon” with new military policy he got watching Fox News
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CityLab, Splinter, Politico, IJR, Daily Kos, Business Insider and Washington Post
New York Times:
Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military
Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military
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ABC News, CNN, al.com, Task & Purpose, Red Alert Politics, The Nation, VICE News, The Atlantic, Fox News, Foreign Policy, Business Insider, Slate, Politico, Mother Jones, Axios, Washington Post, Log Cabin Republicans, NBC News, ACLU, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jezebel, The Pavlovic Today, ThinkProgress, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Above the Law, Outside the Beltway, Althouse, Refinery29 and The Federalist
Kenneth W. Starr / Washington Post:
Kenneth Starr: Mr. President, please cut it out — 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. — Mr. President, please cut it out.
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Lorraine Woellert / Politico:
Scaramucci still stands to profit from SkyBridge from the White House — Anthony Scaramucci finally has his White House job, but he still stands to profit from an ownership stake in his investment firm SkyBridge Capital. — The incoming White House communications director earned $4.9 million …
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Weekly Standard, Mediaite, Raw Story, Business Insider, twitchy.com, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, RedState, New York Magazine and Axios
New York Times:
Scaramucci Calls for Inquiry After ‘Leak’ of Financial Form — WASHINGTON — In the five days since he was named White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci has vowed to hunt down leakers and fire anyone he catches. By the end of his fifth day, he was on the receiving end of what he called a leak about himself.
Discussion:
Mediaite and The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Allies Warn Trump of Conservative Revolt Unless He Backs Off Sessions — Among those urging Mr. Trump to spare the attorney general have been Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, and Stephen K. Bannon, the president's chief strategist. — ON WASHINGTON — Lisa Murkowski, a Swing Vote on Health Care, Isn't Swayed
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Business Insider and JustOneMinute
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Washington Post:
Trump talks privately about the idea of a recess appointment to replace Sessions … President Trump has discussed with confidants and advisers in recent days the possibility of installing a new attorney general through a recess appointment if Jeff Sessions leaves the job …
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CNN, The Week, RedState, IJR, Politicus USA, Mediaite, Axios, NBC News, Washington Times, New York Times, The Mahablog, Daily Wire, FiveThirtyEight, Bloomberg and Talking Points Memo
Dominic Holden / BuzzFeed:
The Justice Department Just Argued Against Gay Rights In A Major Federal Case — Lawyers under Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in federal court that 1964 civil rights law does not protect a gay employee from discrimination. — Reporting From Washington, DC
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ThinkProgress, Splinter, Raw Story and Business Insider
Erica Martinson / Alaska Dispatch News:
Trump administration signals that Murkowski's health care vote could have energy repercussions for Alaska — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump isn't going to just let Sen. Lisa Murkowski's no vote on Tuesday's health care motion go. — Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote.
Discussion:
Axios, New York Times, IJR, Political Insider blog, Townhall.com, Vox, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and Washington Times
Ryan Grim / The Intercept:
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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RedState, AOL, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Wall Street Journal
Page Six:
‘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 …
Discussion:
Refinery29, Raw Story, Jezebel, Daily Wire, Talking Points Memo, Townhall.com, Mediaite, AOL, The Week, Washington Free Beacon and Political Wire
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Kashmir Hill / Splinter:
Why Did Jared Kushner Download an Encrypted, Disappearing Message App?
Why Did Jared Kushner Download an Encrypted, Disappearing Message App?
Discussion:
Raw Story
Dylan Scott / Vox:
Senate Republicans could add opioids funding to ‘skinny’ Obamacare repeal bill — Republicans leaders are scrambling for votes. — Funding to combat America's opioid crisis could be added to a scaled-down “skinny” Obamacare repeal bill that Senate Republicans are expected to vote on at the end …
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Politico, Business Insider, Bloomberg, ACASignups.net and The Daily Caller
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The ‘Skinny Bill’ Is a Farce. Here's the Real Reason Republicans Are Doing It.
The ‘Skinny Bill’ Is a Farce. Here's the Real Reason Republicans Are Doing It.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Seung Min Kim / Politico:
‘Skinny’ Obamacare repeal still lacks votes to pass
‘Skinny’ Obamacare repeal still lacks votes to pass
Discussion:
Axios, Reno Gazette-Journal, New York Magazine, Vox, NPR, USA Today, Hit & Run, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Reuters, Booman Tribune and Washington Monthly
Dylan Scott / Vox:
The latest vote to repeal Obamacare fails in the Senate
The latest vote to repeal Obamacare fails in the Senate
Discussion:
The Week, Politico, ABC News, Axios, Balloon Juice and The Daily Caller
Bret Stephens / New York Times:
When the White House Lies About You — Last week the White House told a lie. It was a small lie and, given the epic scale of this administration's mendacity, an inconsequential one. It just happened to be about me. — On Thursday I interviewed Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo …
David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
Republican Sen. Steve Daines to make Democrats vote on single payer — Sen. Steve Daines is proposing an amendment to the Republican healthcare bill that would implement a government-run, single-payer insurance system in the U.S. — The Montana Republican doesn't support single-payer healthcare.
Discussion:
Vox and Washington Post
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
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.
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Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Senate Intel Committee Wants To Interview Chuck Johnson As Part Of Trump-Russia Probe — Chuck Johnson, a pro-Trump opposition researcher once dubbed “The Most Hated Man on the Internet,” was contacted by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday and asked to appear for an interview …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Kid Rock:
When my name was thrown out there for US Senate... When my name was thrown out there for US Senate I decided to launch kidrockforsenate.com. I was beyond overwhelmed with the response I received from community leaders, D.C. pundits, and blue-collar folks that are just simply tired of the extreme left and right bulls**t.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post
Tom Winter / NBC News:
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:
Raw Story and Political Wire
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
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, Crain's Detroit Business and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
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