Top Items:
New York Times:
Republican Senators Recommend Charges Against Author of Trump Dossier — WASHINGTON — More than a year after Republican leaders promised to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election, two influential Republicans on Friday made the first known congressional criminal referral …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Federalist, New York Post, Breitbart, CNBC, Washington Press, Daily Kos, IJR and Raw Story
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Washington Post:
Senior Republican refers Trump-Russia dossier author for possible charges … The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Friday that the Justice Department investigate for possible criminal charges the author of the now-famous “dossier” alleging the Trump campaign coordinated …
Discussion:
Politico, Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit
Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
Senate Judiciary Republicans refer dossier author Chris Steele to DOJ for criminal investigation — Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham sent a criminal referral about “dossier” author Christopher Steele to the DOJ on Friday. — The letter, which was sent along …
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 …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Just Security, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, The Nation, Vox, The Stranger …, New Republic, Raw Story, NBC News, RedState, CNN, Daily Kos, Power Line, bizpacreview.com, The Root, IJR, Media Matters for America, The Hill, Mediaite, Common Dreams, theGrio, Washington Free Beacon, No More Mister Nice Blog, FOX2now.com, ABC News, BuzzFeed, New York Magazine, Weekly Standard, The Daily Beast, Washington Press and The Week
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Washington Post:
The FBI is investigating the Clinton Foundation … The FBI has been quietly investigating the Clinton Foundation for months, reviving a probe that was dialed back during the 2016 election amid tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents about the politically charged case, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Mediaite, TheBlaze, Political Wire and Townhall.com
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Why Trump and Sessions are now in a heap of legal trouble — Michael S. Schmidt's report in the New York Times contains so many blockbusters that it's hard to know where to begin. Here are the most critical claims: — Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has evidence …
Jgoldsmith / Lawfare:
Why Hasn't Rod Rosenstein Recused Himself from the Mueller Investigation? — One puzzle that deepens with Mike Schmidt's New York Times story on “Trump's Struggle to Keep [a] Grip on [the] Russia Investigation” is why Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has not recused himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation.
Discussion:
Politico, Just Security, ACS Blog and Washington Post
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Schiff: The case that Trump obstructed justice just got stronger — THE MORNING PLUM: — The New York Times's blockbuster new report last night adds extensive new detail to our understanding of just how far President Trump and the White House went to try to derail the probe into Russian sabotage …
John Solomon / The Hill:
FBI launches new Clinton Foundation investigation
FBI launches new Clinton Foundation investigation
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Axios, Instapundit, Fox News, New York Magazine, NBC News, TheBlaze, Fox News Insider, NewsBusters, Front Page Magazine, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, FOX2now.com, bizpacreview.com, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com, People's Pundit Daily, Reuters, Shakesville, IJR, Scared Monkeys, The Stream, Pacific Standard, Daily Wire, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, theGrio, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, RedState, The Last Refuge and Washington Times
CNN:
Feds actively investigating Clinton Foundation
Feds actively investigating Clinton Foundation
Discussion:
Daily Kos, bizpacreview.com and Daily Wire
Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
EPA chief Pruitt is said to be eyeing attorney general job
EPA chief Pruitt is said to be eyeing attorney general job
Discussion:
Political Wire
Mike Allen / Axios:
The Wolff lines on Trump that ring unambiguously true — There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff's “Fire and Fury” that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials …
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Steve Bannon was warned — Friends and allies of Steve Bannon had been warning him for weeks to lay off Jared Kushner — telling him that President Trump would turn against him if he kept publicly attacking the son-in-law. — What we're hearing: Tommy Hicks, a Trump campaign fundraiser …
Kimberly Leonard / Washington Examiner:
Michael Wolff: Trump had little interest in repealing Obamacare, floated ‘Medicare for All’
Michael Wolff: Trump had little interest in repealing Obamacare, floated ‘Medicare for All’
Discussion:
The Week and Common Dreams
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Steve Bannon's strange “obsession” with Andrew Weissmann
Steve Bannon's strange “obsession” with Andrew Weissmann
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Bannon Banished for Telling Truths About Trump as MAGA Monsters Turn on Each Other
Bannon Banished for Telling Truths About Trump as MAGA Monsters Turn on Each Other
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Press, Daily Kos, TMZ.com and The Atlantic, more at Mediagazer »
Kieran Corcoran / Business Insider:
The author of the explosive new Trump book says he can't be sure if parts of it are true
The author of the explosive new Trump book says he can't be sure if parts of it are true
Discussion:
New Republic, RedState, Bloomberg, CBS News, Daily Wire, CNNMoney, New York Times, AOL, IJR and Right Wing Watch, more at Mediagazer »
Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Michael Wolff says he ‘absolutely’ spoke to President Trump for his tell-all book
Michael Wolff says he ‘absolutely’ spoke to President Trump for his tell-all book
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Washington Examiner, IJR, Washington Press, Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, NPR, bizpacreview.com, Breitbart, RedState, Axios and Politico
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
‘Fire and Fury’ author Wolff calls Trump least credible person who has ever walked on earth
‘Fire and Fury’ author Wolff calls Trump least credible person who has ever walked on earth
Discussion:
ABC News, Breitbart, Roll Call, The Guardian, The Big Lead, The Federalist, Business Insider, TODAY.com, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Washington Post, France 24, AOL, CNBC, bizpacreview.com, fox8.com, IJR, NBC News and The Daily Caller
Ben Terris / Washington Post:
Forget Harry Potter. In D.C., people lined up at midnight for Michael Wolff's Trump exposé.
Forget Harry Potter. In D.C., people lined up at midnight for Michael Wolff's Trump exposé.
Discussion:
Power Line, Boing Boing, The Daily Caller, BBC, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News Insider, Breitbart and ABC News
Eliza Barclay / Vox:
The psychiatrist who briefed Congress on Trump's mental state: this is “an emergency” — The case for evaluating the president's mental capacity — by force if necessary. — The longer Donald Trump is in office, the more he shocks and alarms us with his strange and extremely unpresidential behavior.
Discussion:
MSNBC, Raw Story, Fox News Insider, The Stream, Washington Times, Washington Monthly and The Daily Caller
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Scott Wartman / Cincinnati.com:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel drops out of U.S. Senate race — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel quit the race Friday, citing his wife's health. — He hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. The Enquirer will update this story.
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Matthew Gertz / Politico:
I've Studied the Trump-Fox Feedback Loop for Months. It's Crazier Than You Think. — On Tuesday night, I, along with many Americans, was shocked when President Donald Trump tweeted that his “Nuclear Button” is “much bigger & more powerful” than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America and Raw Story
ESPN:
For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end? — THE PROBLEM WITH living your life under the spotlight is that the camera captures only the public eruption, not the months of silent anger. On Dec. 3, when the New England Patriots played the Buffalo Bills …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, AOL, Associated Press and The Daily Caller
Liz Moyer / CNBC:
Black unemployment rate falls to record low — The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 6.8 percent unemployment rate for black workers in December, the lowest in the 45 years the data has been tracked. — Unemployment among black workers is at its lowest since at least the early 1970s, when the government began tracking the data.
Discussion:
theGrio, The Daily Caller, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Washington Post, Breitbart and Daily Wire
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Natalie Kitroeff / New York Times:
U.S. Added 148,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment at 4.1%
U.S. Added 148,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment at 4.1%
Discussion:
The White House, Politico, New Republic, Washington Press, The Stream, Outside the Beltway and Althouse
CNN:
Exclusive: Top Pence aides quietly depart in new year — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Vice President Mike Pence's chief lawyer and domestic policy director are leaving his office at the beginning of the New Year, according to four sources familiar with the staff turnover.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Nominee to Lead Indian Health Services Faces Claims of Misrepresentation — Former workers at a Missouri hospital question leadership roles claimed by Robert Weaver, a 39-year-old member of Quapaw tribe, who says he is qualified to lead agency — President Donald Trump's nominee …
Ciro Scotti / The Daily Beast:
The Trouble With Kirsten Gillibrand … Back when she had an A rating from the NRA, Kirsten Gillibrand used to brag that she and her family shot their own turkeys for Thanksgiving. — But in her relentless positioning for a possible presidential run in 2020, was she too quick on the trigger …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Balloon Juice