memeorandum: Fired Official Was Exploring Resolution to 9/11 Case Precluding Death Penalty (Charlie Savage/New York Times)

7:15 PM ET, February 10, 2018

Top Items:

Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:

Gillibrand: If Trump wants due process, we'll have hearings on allegations against him — on Saturday for his tweet questioning a lack of “due process” in abuse claims, saying that Congress could hold hearings about sexual misconduct allegations against him if he wanted due process.

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Political Wire, twitchy.com, Mediaite, Deadline, Bangor Daily News, Common Dreams, RedState and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Michael A. Cohen / BostonGlobe.com:

John Kelly was supposed to be ‘the adult in the room.’ He's anything but — John Kelly is the perfect Donald Trump staffer — he's a bad person who is bad at his job. — While this might seem like a harsh judgment, consider the evidence. — This week, the White House has been embroiled in controversy …

Mary Jordan / Washington Post:

Hope Hicks: The quiet one in Trump's White House suddenly feels the glare … In a White House full of noise, she is the quiet one. Not the TV gladiator, not press room warrior, not a general. Certainly not the Mooch. — Hope Hicks, the discreet aide always at President Trump's side whose desk …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Business Insider, TheBlaze, Politicus USA, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, bizpacreview.com, thecut, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, The Week, Sputnik International, CNBC, ABC News, Mediaite, AOL and Politico

Haley Britzky / Axios:

Trump's history of defending the accused — This morning, President Trump tweeted a vague defense this morning of those accused of sexual misconduct and abuse, stating that “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.” — Why it matters: This follows two White House staffers leaving …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Breitbart, Shareblue Media, ThinkProgress and New York Times

Washington Post:
As Jared Kushner's security clearance is delayed, White House hesitates to act on others with possible problems

Discussion: Raw Story, 89.3 KPCC, The Mahablog, NPR, Washington Times and Shareblue Media

William J. Antholis / Politico: Rob Porter Is a National Security Scandal, Too

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
White House under John Kelly is not so calm and competent after all

Discussion: Page 2 News, Raw Story, Axios and Breitbart

CNN:
Dozens of Trump officials still lack full security clearance

Discussion: New York Magazine, Boing Boing and Mediaite

Michael Levenson / BostonGlobe.com:
Rob Porter was ‘quintessential golden boy’ from Belmont now accused of abuse

Discussion: CNN and The Federalist

Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
White House lurches into crisis mode, again

Discussion: Washington Post

Wall Street Journal:
John Kelly and Hope Hicks Face Scrutiny as Trump Questions Response to Abuse Allegations

Discussion: Politico and Fox News

CNN:

Kim Jong Un's sister is stealing the show at the Winter Olympics — (CNN)If “diplomatic dance” were an event at the Winter Olympics, Kim Jong Un's younger sister would be favored to win gold. — With a smile, a handshake and a warm message in South Korea's presidential guest book …

Discussion: NewsBusters, TheBlaze, twitchy.com, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Sarah Palin and The Diplomat

Associated Press:

Pence upstaged by 2 Koreas' efforts to warm ties — Vice President Mike Pence's efforts to keep North Korea from stealing the show at the Winter Olympics proved to be short-lived, quickly drowned out by the images of the two Koreas marching and competing together, as the South appeared …

Discussion: ABC News, One America News Network, Shareblue Media, Breitbart and The Diplomat

Brent D. Griffiths / Politico:
Fred Warmbier criticizes North Korean Olympic spirit

Discussion: One America News Network, Breitbart and Jezebel

Max Greenwood / The Hill:

Nunes: ‘No surprise’ Dem memo wasn't released — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes — (R-Calif.) said Friday he was not surprised that the Justice Department and FBI advised against the release of a memo authored by the panel's Democratic members.

Discussion: CNN, Vox, bizpacreview.com, Mediaite, twitchy.com and Sarah Palin

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The White House's broken promise on the Democratic memo

Discussion: New York Magazine, ThinkProgress and The Week

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:
Grassley-Graham Memo Affirms Nunes Memo — Media Yawns

Discussion: NewsBusters and Power Line

The Hill:
Trump declines to approve release of Dem counter-memo

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones, Splinter and Joe.My.God.

Philip Ewing / NPR:
The Russia Investigations: Democrats Try To Counterattack But Lose A Key Weapon

Discussion: TheBlaze, RedState and Politico

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Fired Official Was Exploring Resolution to 9/11 Case Precluding Death Penalty — WASHINGTON — Before his sudden firing last week, the Pentagon official who oversaw military commission trials at Guantánamo Bay was exploring potential plea deals to end the long-delayed prosecution …

Lauren Gardner / Politico:

Top official departs ‘rudderless’ railroad safety agency — A top official charged with overseeing the safety of the nation's railroads has resigned “effective immediately,” the Department of Transportation said Saturday after POLITICO raised questions about whether he was simultaneously working …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Axios, NPR and Shareblue Media

Sarah Ruiz-Grossman / HuffPost:

ICE Set To Deport Undocumented Father Whose 5-Year-Old Son Is Battling Cancer — The agency chose not to grant the Arizonan another stay despite his child's leukemia. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to deport an undocumented man from Mexico whose child is battling cancer.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Hullabaloo

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Sinclair Broadcast Group solicits its news directors for its political fundraising efforts … The nation's largest TV station owner is gearing up to fight for deregulation, and it wants some of its own newsroom managers to join the effort. — Sinclair Broadcast Group is asking its executives …

Discussion: Axios and Political Wire

Laura M. Holson / New York Times:

How Joy Reid of MSNBC Became a Heroine of the Resistance — The daughter of immigrants, she spars fiercely with supporters of President Trump, both on the air and in the Twitter ether. — In early January, Joy-Ann Reid invited Pastor Mark Burns to be a guest on her MSNBC show …

Yaniv Kubovich / Haaretz:

Israel Downs Iranian Drone, Strikes Syria; Israeli F-16 Shot Down — One pilot in serious condition Israel attacks Syrian, Iranian targets in fresh strike Rocket sirens sound throughout northern Israel — An Israeli F-16 was downed Saturday morning after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria into Israeli territory.

Discussion: RedState

Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Israel Strikes Iran in Syria, Losing Jet, as Conflict Moves Into Perilous Phase

Discussion: Power Line, Axios, The Daily Caller and JustOneMinute

CNN:

Woodward and Bernstein: Trump's Russia response ‘eerily similar’ to Nixon's leading up to Saturday Night Massacre — Woodward and Bernstein adapted this piece from their 1976 book, “The Final Days.” This excerpt is appearing both in The Washington Post and on CNN. — (CNN)We're here again.

Discussion: Mediaite

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

The Democrats' secret weapon to take back statehouses — Donald Trump has certainly helped. But Democrats' massive success in flipping statehouse seats in special elections this past year isn't happening by accident. — The party's dominance — it's flipped 35 seats …

Discussion: Balloon Juice