memeorandum: Trump ordered WH lawyer to stop Sessions from recusing himself in Russia probe: report (Brandon Carter/The Hill)

1:45 AM ET, January 5, 2018

Top Items:

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Obstruction Inquiry Shows Trump's Struggle to Keep Grip on Russia Investigation — WASHINGTON — President Trump gave firm instructions in March to the White House's top lawyer: stop the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, from recusing himself in the Justice Department's investigation into whether …

CNN:

Ryan backed Nunes in spat with Justice Dept. over Russia documents, sources say — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)House Speaker Paul Ryan backed his fellow congressional Republican, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, during a meeting over the Russia investigation Wednesday …

Discussion: Shareblue Media

John Solomon / The Hill:

FBI launches new Clinton Foundation investigation — The Justice Department has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton — served as Secretary of State, law enforcement officials and a witness tells The Hill.

Discussion: Reuters, RedState, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

Trump ordered WH lawyer to stop Sessions from recusing himself in Russia probe: report — ordered White House counsel Don McGahn to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions — from recusing himself in the investigation into potential ties between Trump's campaign and Russia, according to a new report.

Discussion: Washington Press, Shareblue Media and Mediaite

Washington Examiner:
Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan: It's time for Jeff Sessions to go, as shown by the latest FBI leak

Discussion: Politico, ThinkProgress, Fox News Insider, Boing Boing, Daily Kos, Washington Post and The Daily Signal

John Solomon / The Hill:
Comey's original Clinton memo released, cites possible violations

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Wire

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Justice Department ‘Looking Into’ Hillary Clinton's Emails— Again

Discussion: Associated Press, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, AOL, TheBlaze, Hullabaloo, Washington Press, Splinter, The Week, Law.com, Politico, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Front Page Magazine, Daily Wire and Washington Post

James Fallows / The Atlantic:

It's Been an Open Secret All Along — Three months ago, when Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times unloaded their first big report about Harvey Weinstein's pattern of sexual aggressiveness and abuse, the depth of detail made the story unforgettable—and as it turned out, historic.

Discussion: USA Today, more at Mediagazer »

Joe Scarborough / Washington Post:

I asked Trump a blunt question: Do you read? — Michael Wolff's tantalizing takedown of President Trump's White House is so tightly packed with tales of political convulsion and personal betrayal that official Washington will be buzzing off its sugar high for weeks.

Discussion: New Yorker and AOL

CNNMoney:

Wolff's Trump book going on sale four days early amid furor — The publisher of Michael Wolff's new book about President Trump is rushing it onto bookshelves. — “Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats of ‘Fire and Fury,’ by Michael Wolff, to Friday …

Discussion: New York Times, The Week, IJR, Mediaite, TheBlaze and thecut, more at Mediagazer »

Michael Wolff / Hollywood Reporter:

“You Can't Make This S— Up”: My Year Inside Trump's Insane White House — Author and columnist Michael Wolff was given extraordinary access to the Trump administration and now details the feuds, the fights and the alarming chaos he witnessed while reporting what turned into a new book.

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:

Forget Treason. Money Laundering Is Serious. — Steve Bannon's charge against Trump's son isn't the worst thing he's saying about the president's inner circle. — Trump watchers have been treated to a world-class cage match over the last couple of days between President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Press, ABC News, The Daily Beast, The Big Lead, Washington Free Beacon, Axios, IJR, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, NewsBusters, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos and Right Wing Watch

Michael Wolff / British GQ:
How Donald Trump's White House team handles his giant ego

Discussion: RedState, AOL and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Peter Baker / New York Times:
After Trump Seeks to Block Book, Publisher Hastens Release

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, The Times & The Sunday Times, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Daily Gazette, Media Matters for America, Washington Press, Splinter, New Republic, Boing Boing, twitchy.com and thecut, more at Mediagazer »

Virginia Heffernan / Los Angeles Times:
Why believe Michael Wolff? Because, for now, this stuff is too good not to

Discussion: The Mahablog

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Trump's effort to stop publication of scathing book is a break in precedent

Discussion: Business Insider and NBC News, more at Mediagazer »

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
New book: Hannity was open to giving Trump questions before interview

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Daily Caller and Washington Press

Greg Evans / Deadline:
‘Fire And Fury’ Publisher Moves Publication Date To Tomorrow

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams, France 24, Business Insider, NBC News, IJR and TheBlaze

Michal Kranz / Business Insider:
Former Trump legal team spokesman reportedly quit because he believed statement on Trump Tower meeting …

Discussion: The Intercept, Washington Press, Washington Post, ABC News and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Situation All Fouled Up, Not Normal

Discussion: Washington Post, Jamie Dupree - PBP and IJR

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Mercer issues rare public rebuke of former ally Bannon — Stephen K. Bannon's main financial backer is formally cutting ties with the former Trump adviser. — In a new statement Thursday, billionaire conservative donor Rebekah Mercer said that she has not spoken to Bannon …

Discussion: The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Raw Story, New York Post, RedState, Splinter, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Breitbart Owners Debate Ousting Bannon Amid Trump Feud — Former White House strategist's longtime benefactors, billionaires Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, are distancing themselves from him — President Donald Trump's growing feud with Steve Bannon is threatening …

Discussion: Daily Mail, RedState, The Rush Limbaugh Show, CNNMoney, Washington Press, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, IJR, Raw Story, The Root, Mediaite and Splinter, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Led by the Mercers, Bannon's Allies Abandon Him — WASHINGTON — Enthusiasm for Stephen K. Bannon's plans for a fiery Republican revolution had already been fading among some of the donors and candidates upon whom he was relying to upend the party's establishment.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Bannon allies say statement praising Trump Jr. was spiked after Trump went nuclear — Breitbart News chairman Stephen Bannon on Wednesday was about to issue a statement praising Donald Trump Jr. — and disputing his quotes in a book from Michael Wolff, but the statement was spiked after President Trump

Discussion: The Week, The Gateway Pundit and CANNONFIRE

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:
'Yesterday morning, he was key. Today, I'm not sure': Bannon's allies start to abandon him

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Dana Loesch: Trump ‘Proved He Had a Bigger Nuclear Button’ Than ‘Opportunist’ Bannon

Discussion: Washington Times and RedState

Sadie Gurman / Associated Press:

AP NewsBreak: US to end policy that let legal pot flourish — WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding the Obama-era policy that had paved the way for legalized marijuana to flourish in states across the country, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Vox, Yahoo, Politico, The Hill, Popehat, HuffPost, CNBC, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, ThinkProgress, Gizmodo, Shareblue Media, The Cannabist, CNN, Townhall.com, Splinter, New York Magazine, twitchy.com, TheBlaze, Denver Post, Axios and Mother Jones

U.S. Department of Justice:
Justice Department Issues Memo on Marijuana Enforcement

Discussion: Vox and NBC News

New York Times:
Trump Administration Takes Step That Could Threaten Marijuana Legalization Movement

Discussion: Reason, The Daily Beast, Outside the Beltway, Associated Press, JustOneMinute, CBS San Francisco and Althouse

Lisa Friedman / New York Times:

Trump Moves to Open Nearly All Offshore Waters to Drilling — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will allow new offshore oil and gas drilling in nearly all United States waters, it announced Thursday. The plan would give the energy industry broad access to drilling rights in most parts …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Common Dreams, Business Insider, IJR, Motherboard, Washington Press, New Republic and Pacific Standard

U.S. Department of the Interior:
Secretary Zinke Announces Plan For Unleashing America's Offshore Oil and Gas Potential

Discussion: Associated Press, HuffPost, Politico, Breitbart, The Guardian, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, Townhall.com and Watts Up With That?

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:
Trump administration to expand drilling off U.S. continental waters

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Jamie Dupree - PBP, Los Angeles Times, CNBC, New York Magazine, ABC News, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Tampa Bay Times, The Week and Daily Wire

Anita Kumar / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Tillis no longer involved in key Senate negotiations on Dreamers — WASHINGTON — Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional comments from Sen. Thom Tillis' office. — Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who has sought to make immigration one of his signature issues …

Discussion: Breitbart

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Trump tells GOP senators that 2,200-mile border wall not needed in immigration deal

Discussion: ABC News and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Roosevelt Room / The White House:
Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence in a Meeting on Immigration with Republican Members of the Senate

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show and Breitbart

Trisha Calvo / Consumer Reports:

Avoid Romaine Lettuce for Now, Consumer Reports Says — This salad green is likely the cause of recent cases of E. coli food poisoning — Over the past seven weeks, 58 people in the U.S. and Canada have become ill from a dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria, likely from eating romaine lettuce.

Discussion: ABC News, WKRG-TV, IJR, grubstreet, CBS Baltimore, KTLA, WFLA-TV, abc7ny.com, FOX59, WPIX 11 New York, FOX6Now.com, abc7.com, FOX31 Denver, FOX2now.com and Business Insider

Richard Morgan / Washington Post:

I read decades of Woody Allen's private notes. He's obsessed with teenage girls. — His 56-box archive is filled with misogynist and lecherous musings. — Woody Allen is making a new movie. Just kidding: He doesn't make new movies. What he's editing now, “A Rainy Day in New York,” …

Discussion: Splinter, AOL and Shakesville

Greg Garrison / al.com:

Roy Moore's wife reveals their ‘Jewish attorney’ and he's a Christian — The wife of former U.S. Senate Republican nominee Roy Moore has revealed the identity of the Moores' “Jewish attorney” she mentioned in a Dec. 11 speech. — It's not the person everyone speculated that it was, Kayla Moore said.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Beth Reinhard / Washington Post:

Woman who accused Roy Moore of unwanted sexual contact sues him for defamation — In a lawsuit that echoes a civil case against President Trump, an Alabama woman on Thursday sued failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore and his campaign for defamation, citing harsh personal attacks she faced …

Discussion: al.com, Advocate, Washington Press, The Daily Caller, Vox and thecut

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump, Romney talk on phone amid speculation over Utah Senate bid — President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Mitt Romney on Thursday evening, a conversation that comes amid mounting speculation that Romney — a fierce Trump critic — is preparing to run for Senate in Utah.