Top Items:
KMOV-TV:
Blackmail alleged as Governor Greitens admits to extramarital affair — ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — Governor Eric Greitens on Wednesday night confirmed to News 4 he had an extramarital affair, an admission a months-long News 4 investigation prompted. — In a recording obtained by News 4 …
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump stuns Republican leaders with tweeted policy backflips — President Trump caught Republican leadership by surprise on Thursday morning with his tweets on FISA renewal, according to five sources close to the situation. — Why it matters: Sources in GOP leadership were horrified …
Discussion:
Vox, New Republic and Bloomberg
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The Hill:
Trump rips FISA ahead of House vote after White House calls for bill's passage — early Thursday ripped the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) ahead of the House vote to reauthorize a key provision of the law — one day after his own White House called for its passage.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Hit & Run
New York Times:
House Votes to Renew Surveillance Law, Rejecting New Privacy Limits
House Votes to Renew Surveillance Law, Rejecting New Privacy Limits
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Martin Matishak / Politico:
Trump undercuts White House stance hours before critical surveillance vote
Trump undercuts White House stance hours before critical surveillance vote
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Post and Weekly Standard
Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:
Rand Paul threatens to filibuster over FISA surveillance program
Rand Paul threatens to filibuster over FISA surveillance program
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Washington Examiner
SHennessey / Lawfare:
Trump Tweets Against a Key National Security Priority
Trump Tweets Against a Key National Security Priority
Discussion:
USA Today, NBC News, NPR, AOL, Gizmodo, twitchy.com and Daily Wire
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Surveillance and Privacy Debate Reaches Pivotal Moment in Congress
Surveillance and Privacy Debate Reaches Pivotal Moment in Congress
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Lawyer Sues BuzzFeed, Fusion GPS on Russia Dossier Claims — Cohen's lawsuit claims he was defamed by dossier's publication — Says he and Trump 'don't talk about' Russia investigations — Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen sued BuzzFeed Inc. and Fusion GPS for defamation …
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Sara Carter / Sara A. Carter:
Was the DNC/Clinton campaign-funded dossier used to obtain warrants on Trump team from the secret court?
Was the DNC/Clinton campaign-funded dossier used to obtain warrants on Trump team from the secret court?
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge, Breitbart and Americans for Limited …
David Harsanyi / New York Post:
The Trump dossier's credibility is collapsing
The Trump dossier's credibility is collapsing
Discussion:
Power Line and Business Insider
Moira Donegan / thecut:
I Started the Media Men List My name is Moira Donegan. — In October, I created a Google spreadsheet called “Shitty Media Men” that collected a range of rumors and allegations of sexual misconduct, much of it violent, by men in magazines and publishing. The anonymous, crowdsourced document …
Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:
Trump administration opens door to let states impose Medicaid work requirements — The Trump administration issued guidance to states early Thursday that will allow them to compel people to work or prepare for jobs in order to receive Medicaid for the first time in the half-century history …
Discussion:
Vox, IJR and Shakesville
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David Weigel / Washington Post:
Sanders will host health-care town hall, aiming for online audience bigger than cable
Rachana Pradhan / Politico:
Trump paves the way for states to impose Medicaid work requirements
Trump paves the way for states to impose Medicaid work requirements
Discussion:
ABC News
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Trump officials move to allow Medicaid work requirements
Trump officials move to allow Medicaid work requirements
Discussion:
Vox, ThinkProgress and Healthcare Dive
Los Angeles Times:
Five women accuse actor James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior — It should have been a pure moment of triumph for James Franco. He collected one of Hollywood's top prizes at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, validating an untraditional career in which he's …
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Post, The Verge, The Guardian, IndieWire, Deadline, AOL, thecut, Mashable, Splinter and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Steve Bannon Lawyers Up... as Russia Investigators Get Ready to Pounce … Steve Bannon is lawyering up as he gets ready to face investigators looking into the Trump-Russia nexus. — The Daily Beast has learned that the former top White House strategist has retained Bill Burck, of the firm Quinn Emanuel.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Cheri Jacobus / USA Today:
Bannon's brutal ouster from Trump and Breitbart circles should frighten Americans
Bannon's brutal ouster from Trump and Breitbart circles should frighten Americans
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
Christopher Buskirk / Washington Post:
Michael Wolff did Trump a big favor
Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
The truth about Walmart's new bonuses — Walmart is the latest company to make a flashy announcement: It will raise wages and provide bonuses of up to $1,000 to its employees as a result of the recent corporate tax cut. — “Tax reform gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally …
Discussion:
Power Line, National Review, KING-TV and CNBC
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news.walmart.com:
Walmart to Raise U.S. Wages, Provide One-Time Bonus and Expand Hourly Maternity and Parental Leave
Walmart to Raise U.S. Wages, Provide One-Time Bonus and Expand Hourly Maternity and Parental Leave
Discussion:
Politico, Breitbart, twitchy.com, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit, blog.walmart.com and The Daily Caller
Abha Bhattarai / Washington Post:
Walmart to raise starting hourly wage to $11, offer paid parental leave
Walmart to raise starting hourly wage to $11, offer paid parental leave
Discussion:
New York Magazine
Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Proves He's Sane — The president may have to invite Michael Wolff to attend the second Inauguration. — By putting it out there that the U.S. president is an “idiot,” a “dope,” “dumb as sh—” and basically insane, Michael Wolff may have ensured the success and continuation of Donald J. Trump's improbable presidency.
Discussion:
Ethics & Public Policy Center and RealClearPolitics
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Bret Stephens / New York Times:
The Wolff Eats Its Own — Guess what? Donald Trump is a raving idiot. Every sentient person knows this, and if Michael Wolff is to be believed, so does most everyone in the White House. So why are we talking about Wolff's book “Fire and Fury” as if it's the news sensation of the decade?
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, RealClearPolitics, The Atlantic and New Yorker
Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
Democrats to invite sex misconduct victims to Trump's State of the Union — WASHINGTON — Some Democratic House members are planning to invite victims of sexual assault to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address later this month to highlight the issue, according to an aide …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, thecut, Business Insider and Washington Free Beacon
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Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:
Sessions tries to impress Trump with moves at Justice. It hasn't worked. — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is trying to find his way back into President Trump's good graces. — For months, Sessions has asked senior White House aides to make sure the president knows what he is doing …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Week and Political Wire, more at Mediagazer »
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Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Sessions telling allies he hopes recent moves get him back in Trump's good graces: report
Sessions telling allies he hopes recent moves get him back in Trump's good graces: report
Discussion:
RedState
Washington Post:
Trump's Netherlands ambassador was asked to name a person ‘burned’ because of Islam. He couldn't. — Peter Hoekstra, the newly minted U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, held his first conference with the Dutch media at his new residence in the Hague Wednesday. — It did not go well.
Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Democratic leaders face internal mutiny over Dreamers deal — Democratic leaders are facing a potential revolt within their ranks as they edge toward a deal with Republicans that would protect Dreamers from deportation but also include concessions to conservatives that many Democratic lawmakers say are unacceptable.
Discussion:
National Review and John Hawkins' Right Wing News
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Sarah Ferris / Politico:
GOP may skip budget, kneecapping 2018 ambitions
GOP may skip budget, kneecapping 2018 ambitions
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, The Week, New York Magazine and Breitbart
Kristen Jordan Shamus / Detroit Free Press:
Pink pussyhats: The reason feminists are ditching them — A year ago, they stormed the streets of big cities and small towns to make their views known: Women's rights are human rights. Many wore on their heads what became the de-facto symbol of feminism in 2017, the pink pussyhat.
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Washington Free Beacon
Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
The Voters Abandoning Donald Trump — A massive new source of public-opinion research offers fresh insights into the fault lines emerging in Donald Trump's foundation of support. — Previously unpublished results from the nonpartisan online-polling firm SurveyMonkey show Trump losing ground …
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Senior Pentagon soldier warns ISIS: Quit or be shot in the face, beaten with entrenching tools — The Pentagon's senior enlisted service member has issued a blunt warning to Islamic State fighters, saying in new social-media posts that they could either surrender or face death in a number of forms …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Senior Enlisted Advisor …, IJR and The Daily Caller