Top Items:
Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
Sources: Chief of Staff John Kelly expressed to President Trump willingness to resign — President Donald Trump, furious over the handling of domestic abuse allegations involving one of his closest aides, has spoken to confidantes about the possibility of replacing embattled Chief of Staff John Kelly …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, Business Insider, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Splinter, BloombergQuint and Mediaite
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New York Times:
Trump Praises Top Adviser Accused of Abusing Ex-Wives — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday praised Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who resigned on Wednesday amid spousal abuse allegations, saying it was a “tough time” for the disgraced former aide and noting that Mr. Porter had denied the accusations.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Jezebel, Political Wire, Vox, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard and Mediaite
CNN:
Trump frustrated with Hicks' role in Porter scandal — Porter's ex-wife: I don't think he's changed — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Hope Hicks, his communications director and one of his closest confidantes, amid the fallout from the Rob Porter scandal …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Fortune, twitchy.com, The Root, Common Dreams, CNBC, Mediaite, Mother Jones, KTLA, Eschaton, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, The Week and JONATHAN TURLEY
Washington Post:
Kelly offers account of Porter exit that some White House aides consider untrue … White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly on Friday morning instructed senior staff to communicate a version of events about the departure of staff secretary Rob Porter that contradicts the administration's previous accounts …
Discussion:
Politico, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, CNBC, KTLA, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams, Business Insider, AOL, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Splinter
CNN:
Dozens of Trump officials still lack full security clearance — Source: Kelly knew of abuse claims for months — Washington (CNN)Thirty to 40 White House officials and administration political appointees are still operating without full security clearances, including senior adviser …
Discussion:
Boing Boing
The Daily Beast:
In Private, Donald Trump Voices Doubt About Rob Porter's Accusers … As his White House has become engulfed in controversy over its handling of allegations of spousal abuse leveled against former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, President Donald Trump has privately questioned the credibility of the accusers.
Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Top White House official to leave West Wing to become drug czar — WH: We all could have done better with Porter — (CNN)White House deputy chief of staff Jim Carroll, who has served in that role for nearly three months, is expected to leave the White House to helm the Office …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Washington Post:
Dozens at White House lack permanent security clearances … Dozens of White House employees are awaiting permanent security clearances and have been working for months with temporary approvals to handle sensitive information while the FBI continues to probe their backgrounds, according to U.S. officials.
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Kos, emptywheel, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New York Times
Jane Coaston / Vox:
The White House had to protect Rob Porter to save Donald Trump — Supporting an alleged domestic abuser is about supporting Trump. — White House counsel Don McGahn knew a year ago that Rob Porter's two former wives were preparing to testify to the FBI that he had abused them.
Jen Kirby / Vox:
Trump reportedly thinks Hope Hicks put herself before White House in the Porter scandal
Trump reportedly thinks Hope Hicks put herself before White House in the Porter scandal
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, CNN, Washington Post, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and CNNMoney
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
John Kelly crisis engulfs the West Wing
John Kelly crisis engulfs the West Wing
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, NBC News, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, Raw Story and The Week
Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:
Trump lavishes praise on Rob Porter, former top aide accused of domestic violence
Trump lavishes praise on Rob Porter, former top aide accused of domestic violence
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, USA Today, Jezebel, Vox, Washington Free Beacon, NPR and Balloon Juice
Helena Andrews-Dyer / Washington Post:
Omarosa says she wouldn't vote for Trump again ‘in a million years’
Omarosa says she wouldn't vote for Trump again ‘in a million years’
Discussion:
Washington Times
Washington Post:
Top White House officials knew of abuse allegations against top aide for months
Top White House officials knew of abuse allegations against top aide for months
Discussion:
Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, CNN, Vox, ThinkProgress, New Republic, BBC, Weekly Standard, CBS News, National Review, New York Times, Media Matters for America, VICE News, CNBC, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Jezebel, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Anchorage Daily News, New York Magazine, Daily Mail, Splinter, RedState, Althouse, thecut, Politico, The Week, NBC News, Axios, fox13now.com, CNNMoney and The Daily Beast
Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
Anthony Scaramucci: If I were John Kelly, I wouldn't try to ‘cover up’ the Porter scandal
Anthony Scaramucci: If I were John Kelly, I wouldn't try to ‘cover up’ the Porter scandal
Discussion:
Axios and The Guardian
Katie Benner / New York Times:
No. 3 Official at the Justice Department Is Stepping Down — WASHINGTON — Rachel L. Brand, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, plans to step down after nine months on the job as the country's top law enforcement agency has been under attack by President Trump, according to two people briefed on her decision.
James Risen / The Intercept:
U.S. Secretly Negotiated With Russians to Buy Stolen NSA Documents — and the Russians Offered Trump-Related Material, Too — The United States intelligence community has been conducting a top-secret operation to recover stolen classified U.S. government documents from Russian operatives, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Washington Post:
Breaking with tradition, Trump skips president's written intelligence report and relies on oral briefings … For much of the past year, President Trump has declined to participate in a practice followed by the past seven of his predecessors: He rarely if ever reads the President's Daily Brief …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, MSNBC, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, RedState, NewsBusters, Hullabaloo, Axios, VICE News, Splinter, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., The Week, Mediaite, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
Michael Lewis / Bloomberg:
Has Anyone Seen the President? — Michael Lewis goes to Washington in search of Trump and winds up watching the State of the Union with Steve Bannon. — Back when he was president, Barack Obama told me that only two people treated any interaction with him as a zero-sum game.
Discussion:
Axios, BloombergQuint, Front Page Magazine, CNBC and Politico
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
Fox News Removes Exec's “Darker, Gayer” Olympics Column After Uproar — Three gay rights organizations had criticized the piece. — Fox News has removed an online column by executive vp and executive editor John Moody following intense criticism online and from gay rights activists, who roundly attacked the piece.
Discussion:
Politico, Business Insider, Splinter, Washington Blade, Mediaite and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »
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John Moody / Fox News:
In Olympics, let's focus on the winner of the race — not the race of the winner
In Olympics, let's focus on the winner of the race — not the race of the winner
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNNMoney, NPR, Breitbart, ThinkProgress, Boing Boing, Mediaite, theGrio, Shareblue Media, LGBTQ Nation, The Week, Sarah Palin, Hullabaloo, AOL and Media Matters for America
Nicole Lafond / Talking Points Memo:
‘Zero Editorial Oversight’: Fox Yanks Editor's Offensive Olympics Column
‘Zero Editorial Oversight’: Fox Yanks Editor's Offensive Olympics Column
Discussion:
Media Matters for America
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Trump lawyer slams Mark Warner over Russia texts — A lawyer for President Donald Trump criticized Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee Friday, over leaked text messages that show Warner attempted to contact the author of a 2016 dossier alleging illicit ties between Trump and the Kremlin.
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Mother Jones and Raw Story
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Jonathan M. Winer / Washington Post:
Devin Nunes is investigating me. Here's the truth.
Devin Nunes is investigating me. Here's the truth.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Fox News, bizpacreview.com and The Daily Caller
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Who Is Christopher Steele?
Who Is Christopher Steele?
Discussion:
The Rush Limbaugh Show
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Newsweek Editors Blast Exec to His Face: 'What You're Doing Is Bulls**t. You Don't Understand Journalism.' … During a private meeting with editors this week, a top Newsweek executive blamed his own journalists for the magazine's recent turmoil and refused to answer whether the company committed financial crimes.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Splinter, Mediaite and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
Sunlen Serfaty / CNN:
Blake Farenthold has still not paid back $84,000 settlement he said he would repay — Ex-Farenthold aide felt pressured, source says — (CNN)Two months ago, Rep. Blake Farenthold vowed to repay the $84,000 he used in taxpayer money to pay the settlement of a former aide who accused …
Rob Delaney:
I have very sad news. My two and a half year year old son Henry has passed away. Henry had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, shortly after his first birthday, following persistent vomiting and weight loss. He had surgery to remove the tumor and further treatment through the early part of 2017.
Marist Poll:
2/9: Showdown with the Intelligence Community: Americans More Likely to Believe the FBI than President Trump — Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say, if President Donald Trump and the FBI disagree, they would believe the FBI over the president. Only 24% of U.S. residents report they would take the side of Mr. Trump.
Sam Levin / The Guardian:
California police worked with neo-Nazis to pursue ‘anti-racist’ activists, documents show — Officers expressed sympathy with white supremacists and sought their help to target counter protesters after a violent 2016 rally, according to court documents
Discussion:
Splinter, Shakesville, The Root, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Week, Common Dreams and theGrio
Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:
We All Live on Campus Now — Over the last year, the most common rebuttal to my intermittent coverage of campus culture has been: Why does it matter? These are students, after all. They'll grow up once they leave their cloistered, neo-Marxist safe spaces. The real world isn't like that.
Heidi Przybyla / NBC News:
Sen. Tim Kaine demands release of secret Trump war powers memo — WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is demanding the release of a secret memo outlining President Trump's interpretation of his legal authority to wage war. — Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Roll Call, Shakesville, Common Dreams, Raw Story and RedState
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Arizona G.O.P. Tiptoes Between a Trump-Loving Base and a Leery Wider Electorate — PHOENIX — Representative Martha McSally of Arizona worked hard to carve out a moderate profile since her election in 2014 to a border district seat that had been held for decades by paragons of centrism from both political parties.
Uber Newsroom:
Uber and Waymo Reach Settlement — Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmailMore sharing options — Below is a statement from Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, regarding a settlement reached in our litigation with Waymo. — My job as Uber's CEO is to set the course for the future of the company …
Discussion:
The Verge, The Atlantic, New York Times, NBC News, KQED News, 89.3 KPCC, GeekWire, Engadget and Mashable, more at Techmeme »
Phys.org:
‘Sinking’ Pacific nation is getting bigger: study — The Pacific nation of Tuvalu—long seen as a prime candidate to disappear as climate change forces up sea levels—is actually growing in size, new research shows. — A University of Auckland study examined changes in the geography …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Daily Caller and Front Page Magazine
David Mack / BuzzFeed:
This Student Failed Her Assignment Because Her Professor Said “Australia Isn't A Country” — This is Ashley Arnold, a 27-year-old resident of Idaho Falls, Idaho. She's a stay-at-home mom completing an online sociology degree with Southern New Hampshire University.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, VICE, Hit & Run and Boing Boing
Foreign Policy:
Trump's Use of Sanctions May Be Unsustainable — The president risks weakening one of America's most formidable policy tools. — A year into his presidency, President Donald Trump has become an aggressive practitioner of economic sanctions. So far, the Treasury Department has added over 700 people …
Brian Barrett / Wired:
Inside the Olympics Opening Ceremony World-Record Drone Show — THE OPENING CEREMONY of any Olympics provides pageantry at a global scale, a celebration that, at its best, can create moments every bit as indelible as the games themselves. For the Pyeongchang Games, those watching …