memeorandum: Republican senators who once criticized Trump have learned how to work with him (CNN)

11:05 PM ET, January 8, 2018

Top Items:

Sebastian Gorka / The Hill:

Don't believe Michael Wolff's book about Trump if you want the truth — BY SEBASTIAN GORKA, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/08/18 12:00 PM EST THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL — When I worked in the White House, I was viewed as strange by many of my colleagues on Sean Spicer

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

From ‘Fire and Fury’ to Political Firestorm — Inside the Trump White House — 312 pp. Henry Holt & Company. $30. — He is a New Yorker in Washington, far more consumed with the news media and personalities than policy issues. He elides facts, fudges the specifics and dispenses …

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Gorka says he was told to cooperate with Wolff book — Former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka — says that he was instructed to cooperate with author Michael Wolff for the book “Fire and Fury” while he was working at the White House last year. — Writing in an op-ed for The Hill on Monday …

Discussion: RedState, Business Insider and Raw Story

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
Wolff: Conway, Spicer, Hicks all helped get interviews for my book

Discussion: RedState and Politicus USA

David Brooks / New York Times: The Decline of Anti-Trumpism

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
White House: Ivanka, Kushner ‘sacrificing’ for the nation

Discussion: Business Insider, Breitbart, New York Times, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, The Outline, Reuters and bizpacreview.com, more at Mediagazer »

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Trump renominates McFarland to be ambassador to Singapore

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN and Democrats.com

Ben Domenech / The Federalist:
Michael Wolff Presents 'Steve Bannon's What Happened'

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Daily Wire, IJR, bizpacreview.com and TheBlaze

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:

It wasn't about her. It was about us. — I loved Oprah's Golden Globes speech on Sunday. It was mesmerizing, pitch perfect, and gave voice to many lifetimes of frustration and vindication with eloquence and a full authority she has earned. But I found the strange Facebook response of …

Discussion: Harper's BAZAAR, Politico, Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, NBC News, The Federalist, IJR, The Week and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Sources: Oprah Winfrey ‘actively thinking’ about running for president — Oprah Winfrey in 96 seconds — Oprah Winfrey is “actively thinking” about running for president, two of her close friends told CNN Monday. — The two friends, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely …

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

The Case Against President Oprah — Nope-rah? — BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief — When Donald Trump was elected in the fall of 2016, some analysts saw the end of normal politics and the rise of a new wave of celebrity candidates. — “Voters have demonstrated their thirst for the Big Gulp …

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Post and Politico

CNN:
Read Oprah Winfrey's rousing Golden Globes speech

Brian Flood / Fox News:
NBC slammed for ‘stunningly unprofessional’ tweet declaring Oprah Winfrey ‘our’ next president

Discussion: New York Times, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Instapundit, The Atlantic, Business Insider, Townhall.com, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:

Mueller likely to interview Trump as part of Russia probe; questioning could happen within weeks, according to a person close to the president — Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has raised the likelihood with President Trump's legal team that his office will seek an interview with the president …

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, Breitbart, ABC News, IJR, Weekly Standard, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, The Mahablog and Vox

NBC News:
Initial talks underway about Trump interview in Mueller Russia probe

Discussion: Politico, CNN, IJR, The Daily Beast, Just Security, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, RedState, Daily Wire, The Week, Shareblue Media, NBC News, Splinter and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:
Mueller Is Said to Likely Seek to Interview Trump

Discussion: Business Insider and IJR

Miriam Jordan / New York Times:

Trump Administration Rules That Nearly 200,000 Salvadorans Must Leave, Officials Say — LOS ANGELES — Nearly 200,000 people from El Salvador who have been allowed to live in the United States for more than a decade must leave the country, two government officials familiar with the decision said on Monday.

Discussion: Department of Homeland …, USCIS, Vox, BBC, Breitbart, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, New York Magazine, Associated Press, The Week, New Republic and Splinter

Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:
‘We will lose practically everything’: Salvadorans devastated by TPS decision

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mother Jones, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Nick Miroff / Washington Post:
200,000 Salvadorans may be forced to leave the U.S. as Trump ends immigration protection

Discussion: America's Voice, Politico, Splinter, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, Balloon Juice, Shakesville, Little Green Footballs, NBC News, IJR and Axios

CNN:

Bannon group shopped anti-Trump document in 2015 — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Before Donald Trump and Steve Bannon were enemies, they were allies. And not long before that, Bannon was part of an effort to sink Trump's presidential hopes — even if Trump didn't know it.

Discussion: RedState, Mediaite and Politicus USA

Edward Luttwak / Foreign Policy:

It's Time to Bomb North Korea — Destroying Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal is still in America's national interest. — Nothing can be known about this week's talks between North and South Korea other than their likely outcome. As in every previous encounter, South Korea …

Gerald F. Seib / Wall Street Journal:

Amid Signs of a Thaw in North Korea, Tensions Bubble Up — Trump administration weighs a risky strategy as Seoul and Pyongyang prepare to meet — As one sign of how fraught the confrontation with North Korea remains despite the tentative onset of diplomatic activity, consider this …

Discussion: Business Insider, Axios and TheBlaze

Committee on Foreign Affairs:

Chairman Ed Royce Statement — Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement:

Discussion: Political Wire

Elena Schneider / Politico:
House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Royce to retire

Discussion: Axios and Associated Press

Los Angeles Times:
California Republican Rep. Ed Royce won't seek reelection

Discussion: IJR and The Week

Ryan Mac / BuzzFeed:

Google Memo Author James Damore Sues Company For Discrimination Against White Males — The author of a controversial memo that sparked debates about gender and diversity at Google sued his former employer on Monday, alleging that the company discriminates against politically conservative white men.

Discussion: New York Magazine, thecut and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
James Damore just filed a class action lawsuit against Google, saying it discriminates against white male conservatives

Discussion: The Daily Beast, AOL, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, IJR, Axios and The Week, more at Techmeme »

Mark Minton / The Garden City Telegram:

Alford cites '30s-era belief blacks more susceptible to marijuana — During Saturday's Legislative Coffee session at St. Catherine Hospital, State Rep. Steve Alford, R-Ulysses, made an ostensibly racist comment when citing domestic Jim Crow-era drug policies.

Discussion: Washington Post, Topeka Capital-Journal, ThinkProgress, Splinter, Raw Story, NBC News, WGN-TV and Hit & Run

CNN:

Republican senators who once criticized Trump have learned how to work with him — Lindsey Graham's 180 degree turn on Donald Trump — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)In fewer than two years, Sen. Lindsey Graham has turned from a political rival who called Donald Trump a “jackass” …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:
Trump revives controversy over NFL player protests ahead of college championship game

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico and Breitbart

Marianne LeVine / Politico:

Puzder resurfaces in Trump's White House in spite of the #MeToo movement — The #MeToo movement has created an atmosphere of zero tolerance for any claims of sexual harassment involving prominent men in entertainment, the media, business and Congress — but so far it seems that rule doesn't apply in the Trump administration.

Discussion: Political Wire and Splinter

Associated Press:
Pelosi is optimistic about agreement on budget, immigration

Discussion: Politico

Washington Post:

The White House struggles to silence talk of Trump's mental fitness … The White House is struggling to contain the national discussion about President Trump's mental acuity and fitness for the job, which has overshadowed the administration's agenda for the past week.

BuzzFeed:

An Alt-Right Personality Lost His Job As A Substitute Teacher After Officials Discovered His Identity — Greg Conte, under the alias Greg Ritter, is a director at a prominent white supremacist think tank and had been working at a private all-girls high school since 2014.

Discussion: The Week

Breanna Edwards / The Root:
Substitute Teacher Fired After Private High School Discovers He Works for Richard Spencer's White Supremacist Think Tank

Discussion: AOL and TheBlaze

Associated Press:

Tillerson tells AP Cuba still risky; FBI doubts sonic attack — WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States would be “putting people intentionally in harm's way” if it sent diplomats back to Cuba, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says in an Associated Press interview, even as a new FBI report casts doubt …

Discussion: Axios

Robert Anglen / Arizona Republic:

Cliven Bundy to walk free as federal judge dismisses Bundy Ranch standoff case — LAS VEGAS — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, his two sons and a militia member will not face a retrial on charges that they led an armed rebellion against federal agents in 2014.

Discussion: Las Vegas Review-Journal, Fox News, Hit & Run, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Last Refuge, The Gateway Pundit, IJR and Associated Press

Kirk Johnson / New York Times:
Charges Against Bundys in Ranch Standoff Case Are Dismissed

Discussion: The Daily Signal and The Federalist

John Solomon / The Hill:

FBI agents' text messages spur congressional probe into possible news leaks — Republican-led House and Senate committees are investigating whether leaders of the Russia counterintelligence investigation had contacts with the news media that resulted in improper leaks, prompted in part …

Discussion: RedState, The Last Refuge and The Gateway Pundit

Andy Pasztor / Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Spy Satellite Believed Lost After SpaceX Mission Fails — Secret payload code-named Zuma failed to reach orbit after Sunday launch; industry officials estimate satellite worth billions — An expensive, highly classified U.S. spy satellite is presumed to be a total loss after it failed …

Discussion: Boing Boing and Axios