Top Items:
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:
The standoff between Trump and Sessions escalates … The public standoff between the White House and the nation's senior law enforcement official took another strange turn Tuesday as President Trump escalated his verbal attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was urged by fellow conservatives to stand his ground.
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Washington Post:
This is not okay — WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a tweet Tuesday for not aggressively investigating Hillary Clinton, most attention focused, understandably, on the implications for Mr. Sessions. Yet even more alarming than the president's assault …
Mike Allen / Axios:
Jeff Sessions won't take Trump's hint — Attorney General Jeff Sessions doesn't plan to take the hint. President Trump continues hitting him in all body parts — apparently hoping he'll resign, which could pave the way for firing special counsel Bob Mueller.
Discussion:
ABC News, The White House, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Week, New York Times and Politico
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Eyes Tax-Code Overhaul, With Emphasis on Middle-Class Break — In Oval Office interview with the Journal, president again criticizes Sessions — In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, President Trump continued to criticize Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his decision …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Magazine, Raw Story, The Week, Political Wire and CNBC
David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:
Republicans warn Trump: Don't fire Jeff Sessions — Congressional Republicans on Tuesday warned President Trump not to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, fearing it could be the first step in an attempt to kill the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
Discussion:
National Review, Washington Post, The Week, The Daily Signal and The Daily Caller
Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Won't Say if He Will Fire Sessions
Trump Won't Say if He Will Fire Sessions
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post, Just Security, The Week, Balloon Juice, The American Conservative, CNBC, CNN, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Power Line, Mediaite, NPR, IJR, ABC News, Business Insider, Breitbart, DCReport.org and The Hill
Paul Beckett / Wall Street Journal:
Transcript: Donald Trump's Interview With The Wall Street Journal
Transcript: Donald Trump's Interview With The Wall Street Journal
Discussion:
The American Conservative
Sophia Tesfaye / Salon:
Breitbart, conservatives, are ready to go to the mat for Jeff Sessions — and turn on Donald Trump
Breitbart, conservatives, are ready to go to the mat for Jeff Sessions — and turn on Donald Trump
Discussion:
Breitbart, Washington Post, The Guardian and Vox
Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Sessions planning to announce leak investigations: report
Sessions planning to announce leak investigations: report
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Senate Votes Down Broad Obamacare Repeal — WASHINGTON — The Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but hours later, Republican leaders suffered a setback when their most comprehensive plan to replace President Barack …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Vox, Bloomberg, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, DCReport.org, USA Today, Jezebel, The Hill, NPR, Outside the Beltway, WNEP-TV, Seven Days, The Atlantic, TheStreet and Refinery29
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Brian Beutler / New Republic:
There Is No End to the Lies — Republican senators vowed not to consider Obamacare repeal without a satisfactory replacement, and yet, that is exactly what they're doing now. — The reckless Republican decision to begin a chaotic Senate floor fight over the future of health care in America …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos
New York Times:
The Senate's Health Care Travesty
The Senate's Health Care Travesty
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The Nation and ThinkProgress
James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Senate Republicans still face narrow path to pass health-care bill after procedural victory
The Daily 202: Senate Republicans still face narrow path to pass health-care bill after procedural victory
Discussion:
Arizona Republic, Denver Post, Common Dreams and Alaska Dispatch News
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
First GOP health care bill fails, with many more votes to come
First GOP health care bill fails, with many more votes to come
Discussion:
Fox News, The Week, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, Vox, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABC News and The Atlantic
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
The Price of John McCain's Republican Loyalty
The Price of John McCain's Republican Loyalty
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and Vox
Timothy Gardner / Reuters:
U.S. energy secretary duped into fake interview with Russian comedians — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine's prime minister.
Discussion:
Political Wire and The Week
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Ari Natter / Bloomberg:
Rick Perry Got Punked in a Fake Interview With Russian Pranksters — Energy Secretary thought he was speaking with Ukraine minister — Cyber hacks discussed with Russian pranksters in call — Energy Secretary Rick Perry thought he was talking about cyberhacking and a biofuel breakthrough …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Washington Free Beacon
Cleve R. Wootson Jr / Washington Post:
Rick Perry thought he was talking to a world leader about pig manure. It was a prank call.
Rick Perry thought he was talking to a world leader about pig manure. It was a prank call.
Discussion:
Daily Wire, The Guardian, Raw Story and Jezebel
John Bresnahan / Politico:
Wasserman Schultz aide arrested trying to leave the country — Imran Awan, a House staffer at the center of a criminal investigation potentially impacting dozens of Democratic lawmakers, has been arrested on bank fraud and is prevented from leaving the country while the charges are pending.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Hill, RedState, Daily Wire, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and IJR
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Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:
Many Republicans Doubt Clinton Won Popular Vote — A plurality of Republicans say President Donald Trump received more of the popular vote in 2016 than his Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. — According to a new Morning Consult/POLITICO poll …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Stepan Kravchenko / Bloomberg:
Russia Warns of ‘Painful’ Response If Trump Backs U.S. Sanctions — U.S. measures leave no room for better relations, Ryabkov says — Russia readying economic, political retaliation, senator says — Russia threatened to retaliate against new sanctions passed by the U.S. House of Representatives …
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Michael Kruse / Politico:
To America, It Looks Like Chaos. For Trump, It's Just Tuesday. — It started Monday morning with Donald Trump calling his own attorney general “beleaguered.” It continued with an Air Force One flight to West Virginia and a rambling, partisan speech to thousands of hollering Boy Scouts.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Conservative News Today, WWAY-TV, Washington Post, CBS Philly, Vox, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Townhall.com and NPR
New York Times:
Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals — WASHINGTON — President Trump, searching for a reason to keep the United States in Afghanistan after 16 years of war, has latched on to a prospect that tantalized previous administrations: Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth …
Discussion:
The American Conservative
William Cummings / USA Today:
Sec. of State Tillerson ‘taking a little time off’ but not resigning — 1.6k Shares — Rex Tillerson has no plans to resign as Secretary of State and is “just taking a little time off,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday amid reports Tillerson was considering stepping down.
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Hill, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, IJR and NTK Network
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Dan Merica / CNN:
Trump makes ‘presidential’ pitch at Ohio rally — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump returned to the campaign stage Tuesday, holding a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, where he defended his unconventional approach as necessary to change the country for the better.
Discussion:
Why Evolution Is True
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Salena Zito / New York Post:
Why the Rust Belt just gave Donald Trump a hero's welcome
Why the Rust Belt just gave Donald Trump a hero's welcome
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys and Plunderbund
Michael Lewis / Vanity Fair:
Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House — Donald Trump's secretary of energy, Rick Perry, once campaigned to abolish the $30 billion agency that he now runs, which oversees everything from our nuclear arsenal to the electrical grid. The department's budget is now on the chopping block.
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Clinton book to double down on Russia, Comey message — 's upcoming book will double down on Russia's interference and James Comey's involvement in her stunning election defeat, according to sources familiar with the memoir. — Privately, Clinton has told friends and longtime associates that she …
Discussion:
The Week