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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.
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Rob Porter is my ex-husband. Here's what you should know about abuse. — Colbie Holderness was the first wife of former White House staff secretary Rob Porter. — White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Sunday that she has no reason not to believe statements that Jennifer Willoughby …


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 …


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:
Political Wire


A Whirlwind Envelops the White House, and the Revolving Door Spins — WASHINGTON — The doors at the White House have been swinging a lot lately. A deputy chief of staff moved on. A speechwriter resigned. The associate attorney general stepped down. The chief of staff offered to quit.


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:
Talking Points Memo, Axios, CNBC and The Week


Ex-wife of accused WH aide rips Trump for suggesting he didn't get ‘due process’
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Press, Raw Story, theGrio and Mediaite

VETERAN REPUBLICAN pulls ISSA into his divorce case …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Variety and The Week

People are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Vox

Report: Porter Told WH Aides That He Broke Ex-Wife's Glass Door By Accident
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News and VICE News


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 …
Discussion:
CNBC, Townhall.com, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Talk Poverty, Hullabaloo, IJR, Eater, FOX6Now.com, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller and CNNMoney
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Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get
Discussion:
AOL, grubstreet, The Root, Bloomberg, KQED News and Common Dreams


Trump wants to slash food stamps and replace them with a ‘Blue Apron-type program’
Discussion:
New Republic, Common Dreams and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn — WASHINGTON — As the midterm elections approach, Russia is likely to throw more propaganda at Americans, using people sympathetic to their messages and fake personalities on social media …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and The Guardian
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Intelligence officials say Russia intent on disrupting U.S. elections
Discussion:
Axios and One America News Network


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 …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Post, The Right Scoop, Common Dreams, The Week, twitchy.com and Political Wire
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Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Led Syria Attack — MOSCOW — Four Russian nationals, and perhaps dozens more, were killed in fighting between pro-government forces in eastern Syria and members of the United States-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, according to Russian and Syrian officials.
Discussion:
Power Line and Al Jazeera English


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:
The Hill, LGBTQ Nation, Althouse, RedState and Jezebel
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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.


Inside the halfpipe finals with Chloe Kim's Korean family — PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) _ Chloe Kim's father pointed to himself and said “American dream!” then let out a whoop. — Nearly a decade after the Korean immigrant quit his job in California to help his precocious daughter become a snowboarder …
Discussion:
People.com, Reuters, HuffPost, Breitbart, twitchy.com, IJR, New York Times, The Ringer, The Stream, USA Today, The Week, thecut and The Daily Caller
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Kim Yo Jong's Shattered Olympic Dream
Discussion:
alicublog and The American Conservative


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.


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


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 and Axios


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:
Political Wire


Trump's Lawyer Michael Cohen Is Shopping a Book About the First Family, Stormy Daniels, and Russia … Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer is writing a book about his life and relationship with the president. — According to a proposal shopped to multiple publishers and obtained by The Daily Beast …


GOP Senate candidate's parents max out donations to primary campaign of Democrat he hopes to unseat — (CNN)Just months after Republican Kevin Nicholson announced his bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2018, his own parents donated the legal maximum to her primary campaign.
Discussion:
thecut, FiveThirtyEight, Politicus USA, Political Wire, Roll Call, Washington Times, Washington Press, Splinter, The Week and Raw Story


Trump proposes eliminating federal funding for PBS, NPR — 's newly proposed budget includes a proposal to end federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), part of a package that includes $300 billion in new spending overall. — CPB provides federal funding for PBS and National Public Radio stations.
Discussion:
CPB, Breitbart and Washington Press


Rising star in Michigan Republican Party blasts Trump and resigns — BAY CITY, MI — Expressing disappointment over President Donald Trump and vowing to no longer be affiliated with any political party, the chairman of the Bay County Republican Party has stepped down from his post.


WLS-Ch.7 blames graphics ‘mix-up’ for confusion between P.F. Chang's and Pyeongchang — Pyeongchang is a mountainous county 110 miles southeast of Seoul in South Korea, and the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics. — P.F. Chang's is an Asian-inspired chain restaurant with 210 U.S. locations …
Discussion:
AOL, Splinter, The Root, New York Magazine, IJR, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Awful Announcing, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon, The Week and Mediaite


Justice Department turnover is bad news for Mueller, ethics and democracy — Rachel Brand had the backbone to refuse wrongful orders. She provided a measure of protection for Mueller and Justice independence. But now she's gone. — CONNECT — Under normal circumstances …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Just Security, Washington Press, The Gateway Pundit and Shareblue Media


KS Sec. of State's Office: Hutch dog not allowed to run for governor — HUTCHINSON, Kan. Update 9: 15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12: — Not so fast. The Kansas Secretary of State's Office says Angus cannot serve as the state's governor. While there is nothing specifically written …
Discussion:
Political Wire, VICE News, thecut and The Week