Top Items:
Washington Post:
A second White House aide has resigned amid past domestic abuse allegations, which he denies — The abrupt departure of speechwriter David Sorensen comes after his former wife claimed that he was violent and emotionally abusive during their turbulent two-and-a-half-year marriage — allegations that he vehemently denied.
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Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Second White House official departs amid abuse allegations, which he denies … A White House speechwriter resigned Friday after his former wife claimed that he was violent and emotionally abusive during their turbulent two-and-a-half-year marriage — allegations that he vehemently denied, saying she was the one who victimized him.
Discussion:
Politicus USA, ABC News, Mother Jones, Axios, Boing Boing, The Guardian, CNBC, New York Times, Business Insider, VICE News, The Root, AOL, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Vox, Jezebel, Talking Points Memo, thecut and Weekly Standard
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.
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:
Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, CNN, New York Magazine, Breitbart, The Root, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, BloombergQuint, Splinter, Mediaite and PolitiFact
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, CNN, Axios, Breitbart, CNBC, KTLA, The Week, The Daily Caller, Splinter, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Raw Story, Balloon Juice and AOL
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, Washington Post 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:
ABC News, Talking Points Memo, BBC, Fortune, Washington Post, twitchy.com, Jezebel, The Root, Common Dreams, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, New Republic, Vox, CNBC, Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, KTLA, The Daily Caller, Axios, Eschaton, Daily Kos, The Week, The Guardian and JONATHAN TURLEY
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
Stephen L. Miller / Fox News:
John Kelly needs to go
Katie Rogers / New York Times:
As Other Aides Face Trump's Ire Over Rob Porter's Departure, Hope Hicks Is Praised
Thomas Burr / Salt Lake Tribune:
Mormon bishops told ex-wives of former Hatch, White House staffer to consider his 'career ambitions …
Mormon bishops told ex-wives of former Hatch, White House staffer to consider his 'career ambitions …
Discussion:
Religion News Service
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump has floated 3 potential Kelly replacements
Trump has floated 3 potential Kelly replacements
Discussion:
Breitbart, New York Magazine, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABC News, Raw Story and The Week
Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
American Spies Paid $100,000 to Russian Who Wanted to Sell Material on Trump — BERLIN — After months of secret negotiations, a shadowy Russian bilked American spies out of $100,000 last year, promising to deliver stolen National Security Agency cyberweapons in a deal that he insisted …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Political Wire, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Atlantic
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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.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
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.
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post, Mother Jones, FOX40, BuzzFeed, Raw Story, Breitbart, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Axios, NPR, Business Insider, CNBC, Daily Kos, VICE News, Above the Law, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, New York Magazine, CNN, twitchy.com, Joe.My.God., The Last Refuge, Washington Times and The Guardian
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Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Trump Blocks Release of Memo Rebutting Republican Claims — WASHINGTON — President Trump blocked on Friday the release of a classified Democratic memo rebutting Republican claims that top federal law enforcement officials had abused their surveillance powers in spying on a former Trump campaign aide …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, The Moderate Voice and The Hill
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CNN:
Trump won't declassify Democratic memo, sends back to committee — (CNN)President Donald Trump won't release the Democratic rebuttal to the Republican intelligence memo alleging FBI abuses of its surveillance authority at this time, and has sent it back to the House Intelligence Committee for changes.
Discussion:
Politico, Hit & Run, Mediaite and twitchy.com
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:
MSNBC, Shareblue Media, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters, Splinter, ThinkProgress, RedState, Hullabaloo, VICE News, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Axios, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Week and Balloon Juice
TMZ.com:
‘House of Cards’ Star Reg E. Cathey Dead From Cancer at 59 — ‘House of Cards’ Star — Reg E. Cathey Dead at 59 — EXCLUSIVE — Reginald E. Cathey, who had huge roles in “House of Cards” and “The Wire,” has died ... TMZ has learned. — The beloved actor passed away at his home in New York, surrounded by friends and family.
Discussion:
Variety, The Root, Q13 FOX News and KFOR-TV
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:
CNBC, BloombergQuint, Front Page Magazine, Axios and Politico
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Fox News Host Questions Why Rubio's ‘Covering for’ Mark Warner: ‘How Deep Is the Deep State?’ — As Fox News' The Five discussed the Democratic rebuttal memo and Christopher Steele this afternoon, guest host Rachel Campos-Duffy questioned Marco Rubio's defense of a Democratic colleague.
Discussion:
Fox News
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Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Trump lawyer slams Mark Warner over Russia texts
Trump lawyer slams Mark Warner over Russia texts
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Last Refuge, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Raw Story and Townhall.com
2018 Winter Games:
The Latest: Official: Pence, Kim's sister did not interact — PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local): — A White House official says Vice President Mike Pence and the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un did not interact despite …
Discussion:
New York Times, ThinkProgress, USA Today and The Week
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Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Pence's Olympic mission: Countering North Korean propaganda
Pence's Olympic mission: Countering North Korean propaganda
Discussion:
Axios, AOL and Washington Examiner
Roll Call:
Minnesota Rep. Rick Nolan Won't Seek Re-Election — Minnesota Rep. Rick Nolan announced Friday he won't run for re-election, opening up a top targeted seat for Republicans in 2018. — “There is a time and a purpose for everything and now is the time for me to pass the baton to the next generation,” Nolan said in a statement.
Discussion:
Inside Elections and Washington Free Beacon
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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.
Discussion:
Press Association, IndieWire, AOL and KFOR-TV
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:
Shareblue Media, Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Washington Post, The Hill, CNNMoney, Business Insider, Breitbart, ThinkProgress, Splinter, Boing Boing, Washington Blade, Politico, Mediaite, theGrio, The Week, LGBTQ Nation, Joe.My.God., Sarah Palin and Media Matters for America, more at Mediagazer »
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 »
Eve Peyser / VICE:
When Your Tweet About Drowning Republicans Ends Up on ‘FOX & Friends’ — “I maybe did not turn the most delicate phrase when I said that conservative students should be drowned.” — If we lived in a better world, this article wouldn't exist. In that better world, one man's troll …
Discussion:
Fox News Insider and Sarah Palin
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, NBC News, KQED News, 89.3 KPCC, New York Times, GeekWire, The Atlantic, Engadget and Mashable, more at Techmeme »
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.
Zaid Jilani / The Intercept:
DEMOCRATS PESSIMISTIC ON TAX CUT: “WE'VE GOT WHAT WE'VE GOT FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS” — In December, Republicans achieved their long-held dream of lowering taxes for the wealthy and corporations and increasing taxes for pretty much everyone else. — Democrats were universal in their hostility toward …