memeorandum: Rob Porter scandal: Everywhere but Fox News (Tom Kludt/CNNMoney)

4:40 PM ET, February 8, 2018

Top Items:

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

The ‘family values’ crowd is mute on Rob Porter … Appearing on CNN's “New Day,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was blunt about the Rob Porter issue. “I have no use for anybody who beats their spouse,” he said. “I tell you, the guy should have been shipped out the door months ago, as soon as they found out about it.”

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Nation

Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:

Rob Porter scandal: Everywhere but Fox News — Rob Porter resigns after abuse allegations — The Trump administration is reeling over domestic violence allegations against a top White House aide, Rob Porter. But you might not know it if you watch Fox News, where the disturbing story has been largely, and conspicuously, absent.

Discussion: Mediaite and The Moderate Voice

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
John Kelly's credibility is at risk after defending aide accused of domestic violence

Discussion: Vox, Politico, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, Business Insider, Roll Call, AOL, Splinter, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Weekly Standard and NPR

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Hope Hicks, elusive Trump aide, in the spotlight amid Rob Porter scandal

Discussion: Business Insider

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
White House faces huge questions on Rob Porter exit

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Shareblue Media, The Root, Washington Post, CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, Business Insider and Little Green Footballs

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Biden denounces White House response to Porter abuse allegations

Discussion: Breitbart

YouTube:

Omarosa Opens Up About Her Time Inside The White House On Tonight's Celebrity Big Brother — Omarosa opens up to Ross Mathews about her time inside the White House, on BIG BROTHER: CELEBRITY EDITION airing tonight, Thursday, Feb. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/...

Discussion: Washington Post, AOL, twitchy.com and Hullabaloo

Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:

'It's Bad': Omarosa Cries Through Description of Trump White House on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ … Omarosa Manigault may have gotten off to a confident start on the latest edition of CBS' Celebrity Big Brother. But on Thursday night's episode, she breaks down.

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones, Jezebel, theGrio and Vox

Adam Gabbatt / The Guardian:
Tearful Omarosa fears US 'won't be OK' under Trump

Discussion: Washington Post

CBS News:

House Intel Republicans plan to wall off their aides from Democratic staffers — In a sign of increasing partisan hostilities, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee plan to construct a wall - a physical partition - separating Republican and Democratic staff members in the committee's secure spaces …

Discussion: The Hill, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, RedState, Raw Story, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Axios and The Week

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:

Democrats expand battleground, target 101 GOP seats — WASHINGTON — House Democrats are stepping on the gas, with plans to target over 100 Republican-held congressional districts in the November midterm elections. — At House Democrats' annual conference Thursday, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, CNBC, Axios and Washington Post

David Wasserman / The Cook Political Report:

Ratings Changes in 21 Districts — The first two months of 2018 have given both parties reasons for optimism. Republicans have cut Democrats' lead in the FiveThirtyEight average of generic congressional ballot polls in half, from roughly 12 points in December to about six points today.

Discussion: Shareblue Media and New York Magazine

John Solomon / The Hill:

Uranium One informant makes Clinton allegations in testimony — An FBI informant connected to the Uranium One controversy told three congressional committees in written testimony that Moscow routed millions of dollars to America with the expectation it would be used to benefit Bill Clinton

Discussion: Fox News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, bizpacreview.com, Sarah Palin, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Front Page Magazine

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
Justice Dept. official who helped oversee Clinton, Russia probes steps down

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller, The Last Refuge, The Gateway Pundit, bizpacreview.com and Sarah Palin

Sara Carter / Sara A. Carter:
FBI informant on Uranium One Breaks Silence

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

David Ovalle / miamiherald:

Bad info from Spirit Air led me to flush pet hamster down airport toilet, student says — Before Belen Aldecosea flew home from from college to South Florida, she twice called Spirit Airlines to ensure she could bring along a special guest: Pebbles, her pet dwarf hamster. No problem, the airline told her.

Discussion: The Guardian, KXAN-TV, The Daily Caller, KRON4.com, AOL, The Stranger …, Gizmodo, twitchy.com and VICE

Alec Luhn / Telegraph:

Oligarch met with top Russian official after Trump aide ‘offered briefings’ — A Russian deputy prime minister secretly met with oligarch Oleg Deripaska to discuss US relations after Paul Manafort reportedly offered Mr Deripaska briefings on the Trump campaign, according to videos discovered by a Russian opposition activist.

Alexey Navalny / Meduza.io: An escort girl may be the latest ‘Russia Gate’ link

Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:

George W. Bush says Russia meddled in 2016 US election — ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Former President George W. Bush said on Thursday that “there's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled” in the 2016 American presidential election, forcefully rebutting fellow Republican …

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Beast, The Gateway Pundit and Shakesville

Lindsey McPherson / Roll Call:

Pelosi to Vote ‘No’ on Budget, But Won't Whip Caucus — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will vote against the budget deal needed to keep the government open past midnight but will not whip her caucus to vote the same way. — Pelosi's decision means there's a better chance …

Discussion: The Hill, New York Magazine, Hit & Run, Breitbart, Daily Kos, NRCC and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Stan Collender / Forbes: This Budget Deal May Be The End Of The House Freedom Caucus

CNN:

‘Pillar of the community’ deported from US after 39 years to a land he barely knows — Palestinian deported after 39 years in the US — Amman, Jordan (CNN)With nothing but the clothes on his back and less than $300 in his pocket, Amer Adi was put on a plane and deported to Jordan …

Mediabistro:

Head Writer, Fox & Friends … Fox News is committed to delivering news as it happens. We love what we do and we're looking for passionate, talented people to help us lead, grow and achieve our goals. Joining the number one cable news network in America is a singular opportunity to be part …

Discussion: Vox

John Ziegler / Mediaite:

The Real Reason that Most Trump Fans Can't Stand ‘Never Trump’ Conservatives — One of the most interesting political divides of the Trump era is that between long-time Republicans who strongly support Donald Trump, and those who have been in the group of so-called “Never Trump” conservatives.

Maggie Severns / Politico:

Former Cato employees describe years of harassment — Three former employees of the famed Cato Institute say they were sexually harassed by Ed Crane, the 73-year-old co-founder and president emeritus of the think tank and one of the most recognizable figures in the libertarian movement.

Albuquerque Journal:

Journal editorial cartoon sparks controversy — SANTA FE - An editorial cartoon published in the Journal came under fire Wednesday from elected officials - including both of New Mexico's U.S. senators - and others for being “misguided” and “bigoted.” — The syndicated cartoon showed …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Raw Story and Splinter

Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:

How The Media Buried Two Huge FBI Stories Yesterday — For more than a year and a half, the media have gone all-in on reporting every possible angle of President Donald Trump's alleged collusion with Russia. No story update has been too small, no encounter with a Russian too inconsequential …

Discussion: Sarah Palin, Townhall.com, Fox News, Breitbart, Business Insider, Weekly Standard, HuffPost, NewsBusters and Daily Wire

Yochi Dreazen / Vox:

Here's what war with North Korea would look like — A full-blown war with North Korea wouldn't be as bad as you think. It would be much, much worse. — Late last September, I moderated a discussion about North Korea with retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, whose 37-year military career included …

Washington Post:

Republicans are completely reversing themselves on the deficit … Republican lawmakers in 2011 brought the U.S. government to the brink of default, refused to raise the debt ceiling, demanded huge spending cuts, and insisted on a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

Discussion: Mother Jones and Outside the Beltway

Tim Mak / NPR:

Tracking Shows Russian Meddling Efforts Evolving Ahead Of 2018 Midterms — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sounded an alarm this week: The Russians are already meddling in the 2018 midterm elections. — “The point is that if their intention is to interfere, they're going to find ways to do that,” Tillerson told Fox News.

Discussion: RedState, NBC News, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, USA Today, Axios, Political Wire and Outside the Beltway

Taffy Brodesser-Akner / New York Times:

Jimmy Buffett Does Not Live the Jimmy Buffett Lifestyle — Jimmy Buffett awoke one morning last year in one of his many homes — he can't remember which one, there are a lot of them — and a panic gripped him in his throat. His new Broadway musical, “Escape to Margaritaville,” was coming along nicely, but something was off.

Discussion: Longreads

Yeganeh Torbati / Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump administration may target immigrants who use food aid, other benefits — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering making it harder for foreigners living in the United States to get permanent residency if they have received certain public benefits …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Splinter

Eliana Dockterman / TIME:

'I'm Not Going to Let Him Intimidate Me Anymore.' Kate Upton Speaks Out on Alleged Harassment by Guess Co-Founder Paul Marciano — Anthony Harvey—FilmMagic/Getty Images — As with so many other #MeToo moments, it began with a tweet. On Jan. 31, supermodel Kate Upton wrote …

Discussion: Women in the World, The Guardian, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Jezebel, The Daily Beast, thecut, The Blast, AOL and TMZ.com

Washington Post:

Trump's favorite general: Can Mattis check an impulsive president and still retain his trust? … Throughout his 40-year career as a Marine, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis built a reputation as an aggressive warrior, leading a blitz on Baghdad and pushing a reluctant Obama administration to hit back against Iran.

Discussion: Defense One, ABC News and Raw Story

John Bresnahan / Politico:

From Fallujah to FBI investigation: The undoing of Duncan Hunter — The criminal investigation into Rep. Duncan Hunter is intensifying as a grand jury in San Diego questions multiple former aides about whether the California Republican improperly diverted political funds for personal use.

Discussion: thecut

Dan Sullivan / Tampa Bay Times:

In Tampa visit, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recommends aspirin over opioids for pain relief — TAMPA U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has drawn jeers for suggesting that people in pain should consider over-the-counter Bufferin instead of opioids. — On Wednesday, Sessions was in Tampa …

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Shareblue Media, AOL, Joe.My.God. and ThinkProgress

Paulina Neuding / Spectator:

Violent crime in Sweden is soaring. When will politicians act? … January was a particularly violent month in Sweden. A 63-year-old man was killed in Stockholm by a hand grenade lying in the street. A Dutch exchange student was hit by a stray bullet during an execution-style killing at a pizza restaurant in Uppsala.

Anna Livsey / The Guardian:

Scrambled in translation? Norway Olympics team orders 15,000 eggs by mistake — Chefs for Norwegian athletes confronted with ‘half a truckload’ of eggs after an order at South Korean games went wrong — Chefs with the Norwegian Winter Olympic team found themselves with 13,500 unwanted eggs …

Discussion: Washington Post, KFOR-TV, FOX31 Denver, CBS San Francisco, Atlas Obscura, AOL, USA Today, Sputnik International and Mashable

Committee to Investigate Russia:

Investigate Russia: Get The Truth — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Former CIA Director John Brennan sit down with Director/Actor/Activist Rob Reiner for a candid conversation about what Russia did during the 2016 election and why they are concerned by what they are seeing now.

New York Times:

2 of ISIS's Infamous British Fighters Are Captured by Syrian Kurds — WASHINGTON — Syrian Kurdish fighters have detained two British men infamous for their role in the Islamic State's imprisonment, torture and killing of Western hostages, according to American officials.

Discussion: The Guardian and NBC News

Bloomberg:

Stocks Hit Two-Month Low as Rate-Hike Fears Return: Markets Wrap — Gains for year vanish; Treasuries rebound as equities plunge — Pound rises on BOE forecasts; euro drops, dollar holds steady — The dread that gripped equity markets earlier in the week re-emerged Thursday …

Discussion: BloombergQuint and Washington Post