Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit — WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, according to four people told of the matter …
Discussion:
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Washington Post:
Trump moved to fire special counsel Mueller in June, bringing the White House's top lawyer to the brink of quitting — President Trump sought the firing of Robert S. Mueller III last June, shortly after the special counsel took over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Raw Story, The Week and Business Insider
Ed Henry / Fox News:
Trump was talked out of firing Mueller last June, source says — President Trump told top officials this past June that he wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, but was talked out of doing so by White House counsel Don McGahn and other aides, a source close to the White House told Fox News late Thursday.
SHennessey / Lawfare:
Trump's Effort to Fire Mueller: Reactions to the New York Times Report — The New York Times reported Thursday evening that President Trump ordered the firing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in June and was only dissuaded when White House Counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign rather …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Political Wire, Politico, Business Insider and Mediaite
Rick Klein / ABC News:
The Note: Mueller controls the clock as revelations come at a dizzying pace
The Note: Mueller controls the clock as revelations come at a dizzying pace
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Axios and One America News Network
Julian E. Zelizer / The Atlantic:
Out of Control — The news that President Trump tried …
Renato Mariotti / Politico:
It's Now Likely Mueller Thinks Trump Obstructed Justice
It's Now Likely Mueller Thinks Trump Obstructed Justice
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, Media Matters for America, Mediaite and The Week
Mike Allen / Axios:
Trump's ultimate unforced error keeps coming back to bite him
Trump's ultimate unforced error keeps coming back to bite him
Discussion:
USA Today and Washington Post
Kaili Joy Gray / Shareblue Media:
White House doesn't deny it: Trump tried to fire Mueller and failed
White House doesn't deny it: Trump tried to fire Mueller and failed
Discussion:
JONATHAN TURLEY, Raw Story and Mediaite
Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Mueller Wasn't Interested in Bannon Until ‘Fire and Fury,’ Source Says
Mueller Wasn't Interested in Bannon Until ‘Fire and Fury,’ Source Says
Discussion:
RedState
Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Attorney Says No Decision to Talk to Mueller
Trump's Attorney Says No Decision to Talk to Mueller
Discussion:
Politico, Palmer Report and Mediaite
The ITV Hub:
Donald Trump says sorry to Britain — Piers Morgan has frequently spoken about his friendship with Donald Trump - and now Piers has finally interviewed the US President in what was his first international interview since taking office. — This unmissable interview took place in Davos …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Coffee House, NBC News, The Guardian, NPR and The Week
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Lorraine Woellert / Politico:
White House jumps back into Dreamer battle with citizenship offer — President Donald Trump on Monday will propose a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — a key concession to Democrats that he hopes will win their support for a massive border wall with Mexico.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Breitbart, New York Times, The Week, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Axios, The Daily Beast, American Greatness, Washington Press, twitchy.com, The Liberty Review, Business Insider, The Stream, New York Magazine, Washington Free Beacon and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
The White House's immigration proposal is dead on arrival
The White House's immigration proposal is dead on arrival
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Week, twitchy.com and Breitbart
Mark Krikorian / National Review:
The Art of the Choke — The White House immigration outline …
The Art of the Choke — The White House immigration outline …
Discussion:
Daily Wire and Mother Jones
Jonathan Tamari / Philly.com:
Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection after sexual harassment furor — Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection amid a furor over his use of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim against an aide, and the national response to his describing the woman as his “soul mate.”
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Times, ABC News, American Thinker, NPR, Roll Call, The Week, Splinter and Axios
BostonGlobe.com:
Joe Kennedy to deliver Democratic response to State of the Union address — WASHINGTON - Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, one of the Democratic Party's rising political stars, has been tapped by top party leaders to deliver the official Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address next week.
Discussion:
Roll Call
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Politico:
Rep. Kennedy to deliver Democrats' State of the Union response — Rep. Joe Kennedy, a rising star in the Democratic Party, will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday, POLITICO has learned exclusively. — Kennedy (D-Mass.) …
Discussion:
Political Wire, NTK Network and Washington Free Beacon
Huib Modderkolk / De Volkskrant:
Dutch agencies provide crucial intel about Russia's interference in US-elections — Hackers from the Dutch intelligence service AIVD have provided the FBI with crucial information about Russian interference with the American elections. For years, AIVD had access to the infamous Russian hacker group Cozy Bear.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Washington Press and Balloon Juice
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Sharyl Attkisson / The Hill:
As walls close in on FBI, the bureau lashes out at its antagonists — BY SHARYL ATTKISSON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/25/18 01:50 PM EST THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL — What happens when federal agencies accused of possible wrongdoing — also control the alleged evidence against them?
Discussion:
Power Line, American Greatness and Breitbart
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Paul Schwartzman / Washington Post:
The Trumps asked to borrow a Van Gogh for the White House. The Guggenheim offered an 18K gold toilet instead. — The emailed response from the Guggenheim's chief curator to the White House was polite but firm: the museum could not accommodate a request to “borrow” a painting by Vincent Van Gogh …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Common Dreams, Breitbart, Washington Press, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Vox, bizpacreview.com, Geller Report, The Express Tribune, New York Times, The A.V. Club, Politico, The Week, IJR, Addicting Info, Boing Boing, AOL, KTLA, Splinter, thecut, FOX 61, The Daily Caller, VICE, The Root, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, theGrio and Mediaite
Washington Post:
U.S. economic growth slowed in 2017's fourth quarter, missing Trump's targets — The U.S. gross domestic product, a broad measure of the economy, increased by 2.3 percent in 2017. GDP growth slowed in the year's fourth quarter to an annualized rate of 2.6, breaking a two-quarter streak of growth of more than 3 percent.
Discussion:
New York Times
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 re-familiarized herself with a downside of professional success …
Dell Cameron / Gizmodo:
Kris Kobach's Office Leaks Last 4 Social Security Digits of Nearly Every Kansas Lawmaker and Thousands of State Employees, Including Kris Kobach — This is starting to just get sad. — Prior to receiving notice from Gizmodo this morning, Kris Kobach's office was leaking sensitive information belonging …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and New York Magazine
CNN:
Sen. Johnson backs off ‘secret society’ claim — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee acknowledged Thursday that a reference made between two FBI employees of a “secret society” could have been said in jest as opposed to evidence of an anti-Donald Trump plot.
Discussion:
The Week, alicublog, Mediaite, Salon and Shareblue Media
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Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
‘Secret Society’ FBI Text Actually Began With A ‘Beefcake’ Putin Calendar
‘Secret Society’ FBI Text Actually Began With A ‘Beefcake’ Putin Calendar
Discussion:
Raw Story, Hit & Run, Mediaite, Politicus USA and The Guardian
The Times of Israel:
Trump: No more aid unless Palestinians talk peace; Jerusalem is ‘off the table’ — Sitting next to Netanyahu in Davos, US president says Israel ‘wants to make peace,’ Palestinians ‘disrespected’ US in refusing to meet Pence — DAVOS, Switzerland — In unscripted remarks to the press on Thursday …
Discussion:
The Times of IsraelEric …, Breitbart, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Conservative Tribune, Politico and Elder Of Ziyon
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Johnny Manziel / ESPN:
Vince McMahon: XFL to return in 2020 without gimmicks — WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go. — It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001 …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Daily Caller, The Wrap, theGrio, The Big Lead, Daily Wire, The Comeback, IJR, Breitbart, NESN.com, Mediaite and USA Today
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
CNN reinstates Ryan Lizza — CNN is reinstating Ryan Lizza, the Washington political reporter who was fired from the New Yorker for alleged sexual misconduct. “Upon learning of The New Yorker's decision to sever ties with Ryan Lizza in December, CNN pulled him from future on-air appearances …
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Page Six:
NBC stunned by how far Megyn Kelly went with Fonda attack — Megyn Kelly got approval from higher-ups at NBC before launching her hair-raising attack on Jane Fonda, Page Six has learned — but we're told that prominent members of the organization were then stunned by how far the broadside went.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Hullabaloo, Splinter and thecut
Mike Fleming / Deadline:
Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won't Present Best Actress Award — EXCLUSIVE: Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the Best Actress Award at the upcoming Oscars, Deadline hears. He has notified the Academy he will not be attending the event, sources said.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, thecut, Daily Wire, NPR, The Ringer, East Bay Times, Mediaite, The A.V. Club and Decider, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
Trump wins over global elites at Davos. All it took was a $1.5 trillion tax cut. — DAVOS, Switzerland — Donald Trump may have finally gained entry into the exclusive global club of the corporate elites he has long scorned — and which has scorned him. All it took was a $1.5 trillion tax cut …