Top Items:
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Kelly increasingly isolated as Porter scandal rages on — Turbulence in this West Wing is typically generated by President Donald Trump, but for the past week, it's been chief of staff John Kelly — the man brought in to be a steadying hand — who's inspiring what one White House official described as a crisis of confidence.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, Vox, ABC News, Fox News, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, CBS News, IJR, Breitbart, Business Insider, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Shareblue Media, Taylor Marsh, The Root, Jezebel, Splinter, theGrio, thecut, New Republic, Washington Examiner, Political Wire, The White House and CNN
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Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
White House Was Warned of Aide's Background Months Earlier Than Acknowledged — WASHINGTON — Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, contradicted on Tuesday the White House timeline about the domestic abuse scandal involving Rob Porter, the president's former staff secretary.
Discussion:
National Review, Business Insider, Common Dreams, Vox, Raw Story, Fox News Insider, Mediaite, Political Wire and Politico
Wall Street Journal:
FBI Director's Timeline of Porter Probe Contradicts White House — Christopher Wray tells Senate committee that agency ‘administratively closed’ file on Rob Porter, contradicting White House claim that probe was ongoing — The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said his agency …
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, Axios and Mediaite
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
White House official: “Kelly cover-up is unraveling” — Chief of Staff John Kelly's White House enemies are ready to use FBI Director Chris Wray's testimony as a weapon: “Wray's FBI timeline makes one thing clear: the Kelly coverup is unraveling right before our eyes,” a White House official says.
Discussion:
Reuters, Politico, Vox, ThinkProgress, Political Wire, Fox News Insider, TheBlaze and Raw Story
CNN:
Porter was up for promotion despite abuse allegations — (CNN)Rob Porter was involved in serious discussions to be promoted when he abruptly resigned from the White House last week amid allegations that he abused his two ex-wives, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Press, Women in the World, Talking Points Memo, Axios, The Root, The Week, Daily Kos, CNBC and AOL
Piers Morgan / Daily Mail:
The wife-beater, the witch and the White House: Why the hell did Trump ever tell Rob Porter and Omarosa 'you're hired'? — ‘Shut the f**k up, a**hole,’ snarled Omarosa Manigault-Newman at me. 'How are your kids going to feel when they wake up and discover their dad's a f**king f*gg*t?'
Discussion:
CBS News, AOL, Balloon Juice, theGrio, Raw Story, Mediaite and twitchy.com
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Porter blamed ex-wife's black eye on a fall in off-the-record meeting with reporters — When now-former White House staff secretary Rob Porter sat down for an off-the-record meeting with four reporters hours after the publication of a Daily Mail story showing his first wife with a black eye …
Martin Matishak / Politico:
FBI director puts responsibility for Porter on White House
FBI director puts responsibility for Porter on White House
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Washington Press, The Mahablog, Axios and The Week
Helena Andrews-Dyer / Chicago Tribune:
Omarosa on Mike Pence: ‘He thinks Jesus tells him to say things’
Omarosa on Mike Pence: ‘He thinks Jesus tells him to say things’
Discussion:
NewsBusters, Washington Free Beacon and Splinter
David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
How the White House Gamed the Security-Clearance System
How the White House Gamed the Security-Clearance System
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Splinter and VICE News
Lisa de Moraes / Deadline:
White House: Personnel Security Office To Blame For Delay In Ousting Rob Porter
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Ex-wife of accused WH aide rips Trump for suggesting he didn't get ‘due process’
Ex-wife of accused WH aide rips Trump for suggesting he didn't get ‘due process’
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The White House defense of its handling of Rob Porter just fell apart
The White House defense of its handling of Rob Porter just fell apart
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Politico, ThinkProgress and Business Insider
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
People are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers
People are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Caller, Jezebel, Vox and twitchy.com
Carrie Battan / ELLE:
Louise Linton Is Super-Duper Sorry — Louise Linton has accomplished the near-impossible task of locating an ordinary meeting place in the most moneyed stretch of the Upper East Side, where she and her husband, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, own an apartment.
Sean Hannity:
PORTRAIT PERVERSION: Obama Portrait Features ‘SECRET SPERM,’ Artist Joked About ‘Killing Whitey’ — The widening scandal surrounding former President Barack Obama's official portrait continued to swirl on Tuesday, with shocking allegations the artist included ‘secret sperm cells’ within …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Wrap, CANNONFIRE, theGrio, Washington Press, The Week, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, The Stream, newsmediawatchdog, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Economics Job Market Rumors, twitchy.com and Washington Post
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Lawrence Bonk / Mediaite:
Hannity's Blog Posts, Then Deletes Story That Obama Portrait Has Hidden ‘Secret Sperm’ (UPDATED)
Hannity's Blog Posts, Then Deletes Story That Obama Portrait Has Hidden ‘Secret Sperm’ (UPDATED)
Discussion:
Breitbart and Right Wing Watch
Alex Roarty / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Internal Dem polling shows Trump's standing on the rise — A leading Democratic group — Priorities USA — is warning party leaders they could squander a strong political climate in 2018 if they don't start to emphasize pocketbook issues over loose and unfocused critiques of Donald Trump.
Discussion:
New Republic, The Daily Beast and Political Wire
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Bloomberg:
U.S. Strikes Killed Scores of Russian Fighters in Syria, Sources Say — More than 200 contract soldiers are said to have been killed — The casualties dwarf official Russian army death toll in Syria — U.S. forces killed scores of Russian contract soldiers in Syria last week …
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New York Times:
Netanyahu Should Be Charged With Bribery and Fraud, Israeli Police Say — JERUSALEM — The Israeli police recommended on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, casting a pall over the future of a tenacious leader who has become almost synonymous with his country.
Discussion:
Vox, BBC, NPR, Political Wire and Mother Jones
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Helena Bottemiller Evich / Politico:
Trump pitches plan to replace food stamps with food boxes — The Trump administration is proposing to save billions in the coming years by giving low-income families a box of government-picked, nonperishable foods every month instead of food stamps. — White House OMB Director Mick Mulvaney …
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Erica Hunzinger / NPR:
Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get
Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get
Discussion:
WFLA-TV, Bloomberg, AOL, grubstreet, The Root, KQED News, Common Dreams and Shareblue Media
Washington Post:
The nation's top spies said Russia will attempt to undermine the 2018 midterm elections … The nation's top intelligence chiefs testified Tuesday that they fully expect Russia to seek to disrupt the 2018 midterm elections. — Appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee …
Discussion:
NBC News, USA Today, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, Vox, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and The Gateway Pundit
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Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn
Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos and The Guardian
David Brooks / New York Times:
The End of the Two-Party System — In the first half of the 1990s, I worked in Europe for The Wall Street Journal. I covered nothing but good news: the reunification of Germany, the liberation of Central Europe, the fall of the Soviet Union, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the Oslo peace process in the Middle East.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune
Dan Levine / Reuters:
Second U.S. judge blocks Trump administration from ending DACA program — (Reuters) - A second U.S. judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's decision to end a program that protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children from deportation.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Dan Savage / The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper:
Pennsylvania Pastor Caught in Parked Car with Bound Naked Man — “I have nothing to hide,” says Pastor George Gregory of Waterfront Christian Community Church, “I did nothing wrong.” But according to the police report, Pastor George Gregory of Munhall, PA, was sitting fully clothed …
Discussion:
Friendly Atheist, AOL, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Lynette Rice / EW.com:
Celebrity Big Brother: Omarosa calls Vice President Mike Pence ‘scary’ — Omarosa may be on her way out but she still has plenty more to say about her time in the White House. — In this clip from tonight's episode of Celebrity Big Brother, Omarosa tells her fellow houseguests …
Discussion:
Althouse, LGBTQ Nation, The Hill, Jezebel and RedState
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Daniel Lippman / Politico:
VETERAN REPUBLICAN pulls ISSA into his divorce case …
VETERAN REPUBLICAN pulls ISSA into his divorce case …
Discussion:
Variety, Business Insider and The Week
WTTG-TV:
White powdery substance under investigation at former President Obama's DC office — WASHINGTON - The Secret Service is investigating after reports that a white powdery substance had been found at former President Barack Obama's D.C. office. — The incident was reported Tuesday around 12:30 p.m …
Washpostpr / Washington Post:
Megan McArdle named Washington Post Opinions columnist — The Washington Post today announced Megan McArdle will be a columnist for the Opinions section starting March 1. In this role, McArdle will write columns with a focus on the intersection of economics, business and public policy.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Darwin Paz / Governor Tom Wolf:
Governor Tom Wolf Rejects Partisan Gerrymandered Map — Analyses, Non-Partisan Experts Say GOP Submission is Partisan, Gerrymandered — Harrisburg, PA - Governor Tom Wolf today told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that he will not accept the proposed map Republican legislative leaders submitted because it …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Axios and Washington Post
Richard Wolf / USA Today:
Trump's 87 picks to be federal judges are 92% white with just one black and one Hispanic nominee — WASHINGTON — President Trump's search for deeply conservative federal judges appears to have eliminated most African Americans and Hispanics from the running.
Discussion:
Axios
Rob Port / Say Anything:
Emineth Says Cramer Is in Senate Race as He Withdraws His Candidacy — I haven't heard any sort of an announcement that Congressman Kevin Cramer is, for certain, running for the U.S. Senate but fellow Republican candidate Gary Emineth just sent out an email saying he's withdrawing his candidacy.
Discussion:
Associated Press and Political Wire
Dan Alexander / Forbes:
Trump's Biggest Potential Conflict Of Interest Is Hiding In Plain Sight — The largest American office of China's largest bank sits on the 20th floor of Trump Tower, six levels below the desk where Donald Trump built an empire and wrested a presidency. It's hard to get a glimpse inside.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Real Deal New York and Political Wire
Chicago Tribune:
Chicago police commander shot to death at Thompson Center in Loop — A high-ranking Chicago police officer died after he was shot Tuesday afternoon while assisting a tactical team responding to a robbery at the Thompson Center, sources said. — The officer, identified as a commander …