Top Items:
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 …
Discussion:
Denver Post, The Hill, Defense One, CNN, Business Insider, Washington Post, Vox, ThinkProgress, CityLab, The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, RedState, The American Conservative, Mediaite, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, JustOneMinute, Balloon Juice, Axios, New York Magazine, Little Green Footballs, Raw Story and The Week
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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, TheBlaze, Politicus USA and Mashable
Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:
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.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Politico, STAT, ThinkProgress, Refinery29, AOL, Just Security, The Atlantic, Vox, CNBC, Mashable and NBC News, more at Techmeme »
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
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'
Discussion:
Shareblue, The Daily Caller, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, The Week, AOL and IJR
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
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, ABC News, Foreign Policy, Log Cabin Republicans, Fox News, CNN, Red Alert Politics, Politico, Business Insider, VICE News, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Axios, NBC News, ACLU, The Hill, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jezebel, The Pavlovic Today, ThinkProgress, The Hugh Hewitt Show and Above the Law
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
Jason Noble / Des Moines Register:
Ernst breaks with Trump on transgender military ban
Ernst breaks with Trump on transgender military ban
Discussion:
Breitbart, Politico, The Hill, KTLA, al.com, The Guardian, Slate, Washington Post, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Mediaite, Vox, RedState, IJR, The Daily Signal, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, IndieWire, www.wnyc.org, CNN and Mashable
Media Matters for America:
Before Trump banned transgender people from serving in military, here's who praised him as pro-LGBTQ
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Ernst opposes Trump's ban on transgender troops
Ernst opposes Trump's ban on transgender troops
Discussion:
The Nation, The Hill, Splinter, Business Insider, New York Magazine and ABC News
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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New York Times:
White House Aides Think Trump Will Let Sessions Stay, for Now — WASHINGTON — For a week, some of President Trump's top aides have tried to talk him down from his public campaign against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Not only was it exposing tensions within the administration …
Discussion:
CNN, RedState, Mediaite, IJR, NBC News, The Week, Washington Times, CNBC, Politicus USA, Bloomberg and Daily Wire
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 …
Discussion:
Axios, CNN, The Week, Politicus USA, New York Times, The Mahablog, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Times and IJR
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
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Business Insider, Splinter and Raw Story
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
A Trump Tower of Absolute Folly
A Trump Tower of Absolute Folly
Discussion:
Breitbart, JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune
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 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, RedState, AOL and The Daily Caller
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:
Talking Points Memo, Jezebel, Townhall.com, Refinery29, Raw Story, Mediaite, Daily Wire, The Week, AOL, Washington Free Beacon and Political Wire
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Kashmir Hill / Splinter:
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
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
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Seung Min Kim / Politico:
‘Skinny’ Obamacare repeal still lacks votes to pass
‘Skinny’ Obamacare repeal still lacks votes to pass
Discussion:
Reno Gazette-Journal, Axios, USA Today, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Reuters, Vox, Hit & Run, Booman Tribune and Washington Monthly
Dylan Scott / Vox:
Senate Republicans could add opioids funding to ‘skinny’ Obamacare repeal bill
Senate Republicans could add opioids funding to ‘skinny’ Obamacare repeal bill
Discussion:
Washington Post, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Politico, ACASignups.net and The Daily Caller
Dylan Scott / Vox:
The latest vote to repeal Obamacare fails in the Senate
The latest vote to repeal Obamacare fails in the Senate
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Axios, Balloon Juice and The Daily Caller
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, Mediaite, Axios, Business Insider, The Week, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
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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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
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 …
Discussion:
Crain's Detroit Business, Business Insider and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »
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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
Billy House / Bloomberg:
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, Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon
Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
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.
Discussion:
The Week
Evgenia Peretz / Vanity Fair:
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.
Discussion:
Splinter
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