memeorandum: Air Force One's new refrigerators cost $24 million (CNN)

10:40 PM ET, January 26, 2018

Top Items:

Trump Launched Campaign to Discredit Potential FBI Witnesses — The president targeted three bureau officials who could provide key testimony in the Mueller probe. — President Donald Trump pressed senior aides last June to devise and carry out a campaign to discredit senior FBI officials …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, Business Insider, Mediaite, Palmer Report, New York Times, Washington Press, Washington Post, Balloon Juice and The Atlantic

Wall Street Journal:

Trump's Lawyers, Seeking Leverage in Russia Probe, Comb '90s Court Ruling — White House legal team may look to delay, limit or avoid a possible interview of the president by Mueller — President Donald Trump's legal team has been studying a 1990s federal court ruling that could be the basis for delaying …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, New York Times, Washington Press, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, Salon and Hullabaloo, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Frustrated by Russia investigation, Trump turns ire toward Rosenstein — Washington (CNN)Months after his reported effort to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, President Donald Trump is still fuming over the Russia investigation and has Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in his crosshairs.

Discussion: WTVR-TV

Issie Lapowsky / Wired:

Mueller's Team Has Interviewed Facebook Staff as Part of Russia Probe — THE DEPARTMENT OF Justice's special counsel Robert Mueller and his office have interviewed at least one member of Facebook's team that was associated with President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Discussion: CNBC, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, The Verge and Engadget

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Key Republican Dials Back Effort to Protect Robert Mueller From Donald Trump … One of the first Senate Republicans to call for legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller has stopped actively pushing that effort, sources on Capitol Hill say. — Sen. Thom Tillis …

Discussion: Axios, CNN, Politico, New York Times, ABC News, One America News Network, Hullabaloo, 89.3 KPCC, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Orlando Weekly, Just Security, Fox News, The Atlantic, New Republic, American Greatness and Above the Law

NPR:

Conservative Writer Says Republicans ‘Sacrificed Their Honor’ By Attacking FBI — Noah Rothman, an editor for Commentary magazine, tells NPR's Rachel Martin that “Trump's advocates across the Republican political spectrum” are grasping at straws by attacking the FBI. — RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Karen Freifeld / Reuters: White House counsel was ‘fed up’ with Trump: source

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
What Happens to Trump If He Fires Robert Mueller?

Discussion: Shareblue Media, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Press, Politico, The Atlantic, ThinkProgress, TVNewser and CNBC

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
Trump Will Try to Fire Mueller. Again.

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, National Review, Vox, NPR, Lawfare, IJR, Dame Magazine, Talking Points Memo, bizpacreview.com, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller and The Daily Beast

Josh Gerstein / Politico: Sessions pledges to depoliticize Justice Department

Fresno Bee:
Rep. Devin Nunes, Trump's stooge, attacks FBI

Discussion: Bloomberg and Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:

Dozens of People Recount Pattern of Sexual Misconduct by Las Vegas Mogul Steve Wynn — Wynn Resorts employees and others described a CEO who sexualized his workplace and pressured workers to perform sex acts. Mr. Wynn responded: ‘The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous.’

The Daily Beast:

RNC Silent So Far About Contributions From Steve Wynn After Allegations He Forced Women Into Sex … Just months after the Republican Party worked to tie Democrats to alleged serial sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein, the GOP's chief fundraiser has been accused of pressuring multiple women …

Discussion: New York Magazine

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed:
Republicans Dragged Democrats Over Harvey Weinstein. Now They Have A Problem Of Their Own.

Discussion: Politico and Business Insider

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Steve Wynn, RNC finance chairman, faces allegations of sexual misconduct

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Press, Raw Story, Mediaite and Mother Jones

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
These 6 GOP tweets just became very awkward

Discussion: Washington Press

ESPN:

OTL: Michigan State secrets extend far beyond Larry Nassar case — MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY administrators have long claimed, to the federal government and public, that they have handled sexual assault, violence, and gender discrimination complaints properly.

Discussion: Mother Jones, msuspartans.com, Detroit Free Press, The Comeback, Shareblue Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Ringer, WOOD-TV, New York Times, The Big Lead, The Daily Caller, CBS Detroit and AOL

Rachael Denhollander / New York Times:

The Price I Paid for Taking On Larry Nassar — On Jan. 16, women and girls from across the country began congregating in a courtroom in Lansing, Mich. Some of us were athletes; some of us were not. Some of us were white; some of us were black. Some of us were married; some of us were still in high school.

Discussion: Detroit News, Michigan Radio, Lansing State Journal, TIME, Glamour, FOX6Now.com, Q13 FOX News, NBC News and CNN

Nicole Auerbach / The Athletic: NCAA president Mark Emmert was alerted to Michigan State sexual assault reports in 2010

Will Hobson / Washington Post:
USA Gymnastics announces entire board of directors will resign in wake of Larry Nassar scandal

Discussion: Vox

Chris Solari / Detroit Free Press:
Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis steps down in wake of Larry Nassar scandal

Discussion: TheBlaze and myfox8.com

Matt Mencarini / Lansing State Journal:
MSU hid full conclusions of 2014 Nassar report from victim

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and BuzzFeed

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton Chose to Shield a Top Adviser Accused of Harassment in 2008 — WASHINGTON — A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign who was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a young subordinate was kept on the campaign at Mrs. Clinton's request, according to four people familiar with what took place.

Alan Gomez / USA Today:

Jeb Bush warns Trump's character may drag down GOP in 2018 elections — MIAMI — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush warns that Republicans are in for a beating in the fall elections if congressional races focus on the rhetoric and character of President Trump.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Florida Politics, Naked Politics, The Hill, The Week, Washington Times and Mediaite

Kim Janssen / Chicago Tribune:

Trump EPA pick for Chicago office wore false nose to help me beat driving test, daughter says — Incoming Midwest Environmental Protection Agency chief Cathy Stepp faced a skeptical audience when she addressed her staff in Chicago for the first time earlier this month.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., thecut, FOX6Now.com, The Week and CBS Detroit

Elise Labott / CNN:

Exclusive: Frustrated State Department employees hire attorneys, charging ‘political retribution’ — Ex diplomat: US ability to ‘avert disasters’ at risk — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Several officials tell CNN they have retained attorneys after repeatedly trying unsuccessfully to raise concerns

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Axios, Raw Story and The Week

Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump has been spending nights at a posh D.C. HOTEL since the president was accused of having a fling with porn star Stormy Daniels - before the first lady unexpectedly flew to Palm Beach — Melania Trump has been spending time away from Trump and the White House since news …

Discussion: Politico and Washington Press

CNN:

Air Force One's new refrigerators cost $24 million — Washington (CNN)Air Force One is primed to receive an upgrade that will include new refrigerators expected to cost American taxpayers nearly $24 million. — The US Air Force awarded Boeing a $23.6 million contract in December to replace two of the five …

Discussion: New York Magazine

Callum Borchers / Washington Post:

Fox News hits peak Trump sycophancy, as opinion hosts disregard the network's own reporting — In the hours after the New York Times reported on Thursday night that President Trump tried to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III last June, journalists at other news outlets scrambled to confirm the story independently.

Discussion: Mediaite and ThinkProgress

Donald G. McNeil Jr / New York Times:

This Flu Season Is the Worst in Nearly a Decade — This year's flu season is now more intense than any since the 2009 swine flu pandemic and still getting worse, federal health officials said on Friday. — Nationally, the number of people falling ill with flu is increasing.

Discussion: Shareblue Media

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

An affair with Trump? Nikki Haley on ‘disgusting’ rumors and her rise to a top foreign policy role — NEW YORK — Nikki Haley became a trusted member of Donald Trump's inner circle over the past year, but she's recently refamiliarized herself with a downside of professional success …

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Signal, The Hill, Charleston City Paper, RedState, twitchy.com, myfox8.com, Washington Times, The Guardian, IJR, Business Insider, NewsBusters, TheBlaze, bizpacreview.com, NTK Network and Washington Free Beacon

Sundance / The Last Refuge:

Controversial FBI Officials Linked To Wall Street Journal and Washington Post Leaks... There has been a great deal of speculation about FBI Agent Peter Strzok and FBI Attorney Lisa Page leaking to media in their efforts to shape stories conducive to their pro-Clinton/anti-Trump efforts.

Discussion: Politico and The Gateway Pundit

Alex Pappas / Fox News:
Grassley calls out FBI lovers' use of ‘private’ devices during Clinton email probe

Discussion: Daily Wire

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Schumer rejects Trump's immigration proposal — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposes the immigration framework released by the White House — a potentially fatal blow for the prospective legislation in the closely divided Senate. — The New York Democrat on Friday accused President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Power Line, National Review, Breitbart, RedState, The Nation, The Week, Axios and Mediaite

Russell Brandom / The Verge:

Exclusive: ICE is about to start tracking license plates across the US — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has officially gained agency-wide access to a nationwide license plate recognition database, according to a contract finalized earlier this month.

Discussion: ACLU, ThinkProgress, Gizmodo, Washington Press, Jezebel, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, New York Magazine, East Bay Times and Axios

Karen Weintraub / New York Times:

Elephants Are Very Scared of Bees. That Could Save Their Lives. — Elephants are afraid of bees. Let that sink in for a second. The largest animal on land is so terrified of a tiny insect that it will flap its ears, stir up dust and make noises when it hears the buzz of a beehive.

Ariel Zilber / Daily Mail:

'I'm basically a liberal Jew': Barack Obama makes rare public appearance at a New York synagogue and laments ‘truth decay’ in US politics while defending his record on Israel — Former President Barack Obama gave an address to a packed synagogue in New York City on Wednesday

Discussion: Front Page Magazine and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:

Tucker Carlson: When Concerns Of Foreigners Take Precedence Over Americans, Government Is Betraying Us — Tucker Carlson responds to critics like MSNBC's Joy Reid and Bill Kristol who have called him a racist. Carlson lays out his position on immigration and what proponents of more immigration must do to make their case.