Top Items:
Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department … On Wednesday, as Republicans were clamoring to make public a secret document that they think will undercut the investigation into Russian meddling, President Trump made clear his desire: release the memo.
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, Washington Monthly, RedState, emptywheel, Business Insider and Raw Story
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Rachel Tillman / ABC News:
Special counsel Mueller is ‘the perfect guy to get to the bottom’ of Russia probe: Top Republican senator
Special counsel Mueller is ‘the perfect guy to get to the bottom’ of Russia probe: Top Republican senator
Discussion:
Breitbart
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Justice Department withholds majority of FBI texts
Justice Department withholds majority of FBI texts
Discussion:
American Thinker and The Gateway Pundit
Jill Abramson / The Guardian:
Trump's attack on the FBI is an attack on the US constitution itself
Trump's attack on the FBI is an attack on the US constitution itself
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Washington Post
Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Who is the White House counsel who reportedly threatened to resign?
Who is the White House counsel who reportedly threatened to resign?
Discussion:
Lawfare
Franklin Foer / The Atlantic:
The Plot Against America — I. The Wisdom of Friends — the clinic permitted paul manafort one 10-minute call each day. And each day, he would use it to ring his wife from Arizona, his voice often soaked in tears. “Apparently he sobs daily,” his daughter Andrea, then 29, texted a friend.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Wire
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Necessity of Stephen Miller — After 12 years of failed attempts at immigration reform, the current round of negotiations are turning on a strangely personalized question: When a deal is being made, should Stephen Miller be at the table? — Miller is the White House's point man for immigration policy …
Discussion:
Notes
Jess Bidgood / New York Times:
Testimony in Corruption Case Hinges on the Meaning of ‘Meatballs’ — When is a meatball not a meatball? — That was the question in a federal courtroom in Pennsylvania on Thursday, where the mayor of Allentown, Pa., is on trial for charges wholly unrelated to that beefy fixture of nonnas' kitchens across the country.
Melissa Mahtani / CNN:
Jay-Z slams Trump's ‘shithole’ comment as ‘hurtful’ — Jay-Z says Trump's words expose the racism lurking “behind closed doors” — (CNN)Hip-hop legend Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter described President Donald Trump's “shithole countries” comment as disappointing and hurtful.
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Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The grim cynicism of Trump's tweet about black unemployment
The grim cynicism of Trump's tweet about black unemployment
Discussion:
Mediaite
Jordan Bhatt / International Business Times:
Donald Trump tells Theresa May he won't visit the UK unless she bans protests — Trump sets no-protest condition for visit to UK. — Donald Trump is refusing to visit the UK unless Theresa May can ensure that he is not met with protests. — Bloomberg revealed that Trump complained …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Trump Hits Alps, but Melania Is Frosty in Florida — WASHINGTON — Melania has learned a few things from the master. — The first lady will never be as brilliant at trolling as her husband. He is an idiot-savant who plays in the roiling ocean of Twitter as naturally as a blubbery-necked sea lion.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Republicans redefine morality as whatever Trump does — Someday, likely three years from now, perhaps sooner, perhaps — gulp — later, President Trump will depart the stage. — But what will be left of us? — New evidence suggests that the damage he is doing to the culture is bigger than the man.
Discussion:
Common Dreams
Elaina Plott / The Atlantic:
Why Trump Can't Quit Steve Wynn — Steve Wynn is under siege. The casino magnate is facing a range of allegations—from sexual harassment to forced sex— from former female employees, according to The Wall Street Journal. Then on Saturday, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, Splinter, Salon, New York Magazine, IJR and New York Times
RELATED:
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
RNC finance chair Steve Wynn resigns after sexual harassment allegations
RNC finance chair Steve Wynn resigns after sexual harassment allegations
Discussion:
Daily Kos, BostonGlobe.com, YouTube, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, IJR, NPR, myfox8.com, Shareblue Media, Business Insider, Forbes, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Axios, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
Kevin D. Williamson / National Review:
Why Trust the FBI? — There is a reason for the crisis of faith in our institutions — The “failing” New York Times Company is earning about $30 million a quarter, and in the third quarter of 2017 alone it added more paid subscribers than either the Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer or the Los Angeles Daily News has in total.
John A. Farrell / Politico:
Can Joe Kennedy Beat the State of the Union Curse? — This year's opposition response to the State of the Union address has two elements to lift it from its status as a star-crossed, sometimes futile exercise: One, the president's name is Donald Trump; two, the responder is named Kennedy.
Discussion:
The Week
Julian E. Zelizer / The Atlantic:
America's Mirror on the Wall — One year ago, Donald Trump stood in front of a nation still in shock at the outcome of the 2016 election, and listening as the president-elect spoke in his inaugural address to see what he would be about: preventing “American Carnage.” — The landscape that he painted was bleak.
Associated Press:
Amid turmoil, Trump seeking a reset with State of the Union — WASHINGTON (AP) — Beset by poor poll numbers and the grind of the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump will look to reset his term with his first State of the Union address, arguing that his tax cut and economic policies will benefit all Americans.
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Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Trump's first State of the Union: Can a divisive president flip the script?
Trump's first State of the Union: Can a divisive president flip the script?
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:
Hillary Clinton Let Him Stay. Women Say His Harassment Continued. — Hillary Clinton at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. — Justin Sullivan / Getty Images — In 2007, while working for the candidate who hoped to be the first female president, a young woman filed a complaint …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, CANNONFIRE, CBS Miami, Front Page Magazine, thenewamerican.com, Breitbart, IJR, The Stream, New York Times, Mediaite and AOL
Associated Press:
Sean Hannity's Twitter page compromised, vanishes for hours — Fox News host Sean Hannity's Twitter account was compromised and was unavailable for a few hours on Saturday, inspiring speculation by his conservative followers that a government cabal they call the “deep state” or a rogue employee could be to blame.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite
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Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Twitter: Russian bots retweeted Trump nearly 500,000 times in last months of election
Twitter: Russian bots retweeted Trump nearly 500,000 times in last months of election
Discussion:
RedState, more at Mediagazer »
Associated Press:
The Latest: Russian opposition leader Navalny arrested — MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Russian protests Sunday (all times local): — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been arrested in Moscow as protest demonstrations called by him took place across the country.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNN and Political Wire