Top Items:
Washington Post:
Kushner's overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage … Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements …
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Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence — Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded — a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access. — Kushner is not alone.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Axios, Vox, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, ABC News, RedState, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Raw Story, IJR, Associated Press, New York Magazine, CNBC, CBS Los Angeles, Gizmodo, Washington Press, NBC News, emptywheel, KTLA, Shareblue Media, VICE News, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, Politicus USA, FOX2now.com, WGN-TV, Political Wire, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Washington Times and CNN
Washington Post:
Four Commerce Department appointees lose their posts after problems in background checks … Four Commerce Department political appointees working on interim security clearances lost their jobs Tuesday because of problems in their background checks, the latest fallout from the intensifying public scrutiny …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Josh Raffel leaving White House — Senior communications official Josh Raffel is leaving the White House, Axios has learned. — Why it matters: Raffel, a former Hollywood PR executive, was originally brought in early last year to run communications for the Office of American Innovation …
Discussion:
Washington Post and AOL
Ina Fried / Axios:
Scaramucci says White House morale very low, Kelly should resign
Scaramucci says White House morale very low, Kelly should resign
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ABC News, Raw Story, Politico, Mediaite and New York Times
CNN:
Kushner security clearance is downgraded
Kushner security clearance is downgraded
Discussion:
Axios, ABC News, Raw Story, Washington Press and Mediaite
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Ben Carson's HUD, Planning Cuts, Spends $31,000 on Dining Set for His Office — WASHINGTON — Department of Housing and Urban Development officials spent $31,000 on a new dining room set for Secretary Ben Carson's office in late 2017 — just as the White House circulated its plans …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Axios, Political Wire, The Guardian and Mediaite
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Rene Marsh / CNN:
‘$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair’: HUD staffer files complaint over Ben Carson office redecoration — Washington (CNN)The former chief administrative officer for the Department of Housing and Urban Development says she was demoted in part for refusing to spend more than was legally allowed …
CNN:
Mueller team asks about Trump's Russian business dealings as he weighed a run for president — (CNN)Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller have recently been asking witnesses about Donald Trump's business activities in Russia prior to the 2016 presidential campaign as he considered …
Discussion:
Raw Story
NBC News:
U.S. intel: Russia compromised seven states prior to 2016 election — The U.S. intelligence community developed substantial evidence that state websites or voter registration systems in seven states were compromised by Russian-backed covert operatives prior to the 2016 election …
Jeff Horwitz / Associated Press:
Trump campaign chief lends name to penny stock tied to felon — WASHINGTON (AP) — The political strategist and online guru who was named President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager Tuesday has a close financial relationship with a penny-stock firm with a questionable history …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Sean Illing / Vox:
How Trump's 2020 campaign manager is connected to the Russia scandal
How Trump's 2020 campaign manager is connected to the Russia scandal
Discussion:
CNBC, Daily Kos, The Root, Axios, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, USA Today and Talking Points Memo
Donald J Trump:
President Trump Announces 2020 Campaign Manager
President Trump Announces 2020 Campaign Manager
Discussion:
The Last Refuge, VICE News, Vox and IJR
Dana Bash / CNN:
Trump taps Brad Parscale to run his 2020 re-election campaign
Trump taps Brad Parscale to run his 2020 re-election campaign
Discussion:
San Antonio Current, FOX6Now.com, Media Matters for America and Washington Free Beacon
Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:
Roger Stone's Secret Messages with WikiLeaks — On March 17, 2017, WikiLeaks tweeted that it had never communicated with Roger Stone, a longtime confidante and informal adviser to President Donald Trump. In his interview with the House Intelligence Committee last September, Stone …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Smoking Gun, Political Wire, Mediaite, Raw Story and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »
Alberto Nardelli / BuzzFeed:
The Professor At The Center Of The Russia-Trump Probe Boasted To His Girlfriend In Ukraine That He Was Friends With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — A Ukrainian woman named Anna says Joseph Mifsud asked her to marry him in a restaurant overlooking the Kremlin.
Discussion:
Washington Press, Daily Kos and Raw Story
Daniel Marans / HuffPost:
DCCC Advised Candidates Not To Discuss Gun Control Policy Right After Vegas Shooting — The campaign organization said Democrats should focus on offering thoughts and prayers. — The morning after the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas, a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Free Beacon, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and Politico
RELATED:
Zaid Jilani / The Intercept:
DCCC Internal Polling Presented to Members of Congress Panned Single Payer Health Care
DCCC Internal Polling Presented to Members of Congress Panned Single Payer Health Care
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Tampa Bay Times:
Shooting survivor's father admits email changes in CNN spat — Colton Haab's father acknowledges omitting some words from the email but says he didn't do it on purpose. — Last week's televised town hall on guns and school safety has led to finger-pointing by the father of a Florida school shooting survivor and CNN.
Discussion:
RedState, Raw Story, Washington Press, twitchy.com and Mediaite
Anton Troianovski / Washington Post:
A self-described sex expert says she will spill information on Trump and Russia to get out of a Thai jail … MOSCOW — A self-described sex expert whose videos highlighted the ties between one of Russia's richest men and the Kremlin has been jailed in Thailand and is calling for U.S. help …
Discussion:
New York Times and Washington Press
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Infowars one strike away from YouTube ban — Conspiracy theory outlet Infowars is one strike away from being banned from YouTube. — The channel said it received an alert from YouTube on Tuesday morning, saying Infowars received a second strike on a video about the Parkland, Fla. …
Discussion:
RedState, Axios, Gizmodo, Jezebel, Joe.My.God., Washington Press and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
David Hogg Is Fair Game for Critics
David Hogg Is Fair Game for Critics
Discussion:
The Resurgent, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress and Washington Times
Allie Nicodemo / Northeastern:
Schools are safer than they were in the 90s, and school shootings are not more common than they used to be, researchers say — The deadly school shooting this month in Parkland, Florida, has ignited national outrage and calls for action on gun reform. But while certain policies …
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Daily Signal, The Resurgent, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Daily Wire
Zachary Cohen / CNN:
NSA chief says Trump hasn't told him to confront Russian cyber threat — NSA chief: Need authority to stop Russian cyber threat — Washington (CNN)US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers on Tuesday that he has not been granted the authority by President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Washington Monthly, IJR, The Guardian, Political Wire, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo
CNN:
11 ill after suspicious letter arrives at military base — Washington (CNN)Eleven people fell ill after a suspicious letter was opened in an administrative building at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, on Tuesday, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.
Discussion:
CBS News, The Daily Caller and Daily Wire
RELATED:
Luke O'Brien / HuffPost:
Far-Right Troll Chuck Johnson Tried Out for ‘Survivor.’ Here's His Audition Tape. — CBS' mistake is the world's loss. — The 36th season of “Survivor,” the reality TV show that ushered America into an era of turbo-capitalized narcissism and celebrity worship that helped get Donald Trump elected president, will premiere Wednesday.
Discussion:
thecut and Joe.My.God.
CBS Miami:
Sources: Carnage Could Have Been Far Worse In Florida School Massacre — PARKLAND - CBS4 News has obtained new information in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre which left 17 people dead. — An official briefed on the shooting investigation tells CBS4 News that the carnage could have been far worse.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Domenico Montanaro / NPR:
Supreme Court Ruling Means Immigrants Could Continue To Be Detained Indefinitely — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigrants, even those with permanent legal status and asylum seekers, do not have the right to periodic bond hearings. — It's a profound loss for those immigrants appealing …
Discussion:
New York Times, Reuters, Washington Press, Jezebel, Rewire, Shakesville, New York Magazine and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Quinn Norton / The Atlantic:
The New York Times Fired My Doppelgänger — The day before Valentine's Day, social media created a bizarro-world version of me. I have seen strange ideas about me online before, but this doppelgänger was so far from resembling me that I told friends and loved ones I didn't want to even try to rebut it.
Discussion:
Mediaite and emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »
Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Mueller moves to dismiss charges against Gates — Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his legal team has moved to drop charges that were brought last week in an expansive superseding indictment against Rick Gates. The 32-count indictment issued in the Eastern District of Virginia accused Gates of tax and bank fraud.
Discussion:
CNBC, Washington Post, RedState, Political Wire and Joe.My.God.
WGN Web Desk / WGN-TV:
Man armed with AR-15 stops attack by neighbor in Oswego — Share Update: … OSWEGO, Ill. — A man armed with an AR-15 rifle stopped an attack by one of his neighbors and held him until police arrived. — It happened Monday at an apartment building on Harbor Drive in Oswego Township.
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Daily Wire, IJR, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, FOX2now.com and The Daily Caller
Rasmussen Reports:
Americans Blame Government More Than Guns for Florida Massacre — Most Americans think government error is more responsible than a lack of gun control for the Valentine's Day massacre at a Florida high school. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds …
Discussion:
Daily Wire, Breitbart and The Daily Caller
Marc Berman / New York Post:
Warriors have their plans in place for skipping White House visit — The Warriors head to Washington on Tuesday but will not visit the White House. Instead, they will take a side trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. President Trump uninvited them to the White House …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Washington Press, CBS San Francisco and KTLA
Kelsey McKinney / The FADER:
Aliens Exist … In no particular order, here is a list of things Tom DeLonge has consistently claimed to believe: UFOs are real, aliens are real and they visit us episodically, the U.S. government has known about alien life for decades, the U.S. government has been actively experimenting …
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Corker decides against reelection bid, sticks with retirement — Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) will not run for reelection after reconsidering his decision last fall to retire, his chief of staff said Tuesday. — After listening to some Tennessee Republicans and GOP senators who were privately urging …
Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
These Are The Real-Life Effects Of Trump's Obamacare Sabotage — A new study predicts premiums going up by 18 percent and millions of Americans losing their coverage. — Somebody has finally put some numbers on what the Republican effort to undermine Obamacare will mean for everyday Americans.
Discussion:
Washington Post, National Review, New York Magazine, AOL and Axios
Ali Breland / The Hill:
Week ahead: House to vote on controversial online sex trafficking bill — The House is expected to vote in the coming week on legislation aimed at cracking down on sex trafficking online. — The bill is sparking concern from the tech industry, which worries that a proposed change …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politico and Jezebel