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:
CNN, Axios, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, IJR, Raw Story, Mediaite, The Guardian, Vox, CBS Los Angeles, KTLA, New York Magazine, Gizmodo, NBC News, Washington Press, emptywheel, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, Shareblue Media, RedState, Politicus USA, CNBC, VICE News, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Associated Press, FOX31 Denver, FOX2now.com, WGN-TV, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Washington Times, Political Wire and ABC News
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
Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
The Deep State Takes Out the White House's Dark Clown Prince
The Deep State Takes Out the White House's Dark Clown Prince
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Mediaite
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, Raw Story, Politico, ABC News and Mediaite
CNN:
Kushner security clearance is downgraded
Kushner security clearance is downgraded
Discussion:
Axios, Mediaite, Washington Press and Raw Story
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:
Washington Post, Raw Story, The Guardian, Shareblue Media, The Root, Axios, The Daily Caller, Washington Press, Mediaite and Political Wire
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Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
US housing department to spend $165,000 on own furniture as it faces $6.8bn budget cut
US housing department to spend $165,000 on own furniture as it faces $6.8bn budget cut
Discussion:
Raw Story and Shareblue Media
Rene Marsh / CNN:
‘$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair’: HUD staffer files complaint over Ben Carson office redecoration
‘$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair’: HUD staffer files complaint over Ben Carson office redecoration
Discussion:
KTLA
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump — WASHINGTON — Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, told House investigators on Tuesday that her work for President Trump, who has a reputation for exaggerations and outright falsehoods, had occasionally required her to tell white lies.
Discussion:
Political Wire, KTLA and Mediaite
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Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
In Russia probe, Hope Hicks refuses to answer questions about Trump administration
In Russia probe, Hope Hicks refuses to answer questions about Trump administration
Discussion:
CNN, Breitbart, Washington Press, VICE News, Balloon Juice and Political Wire
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:
Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Washington Press, Washington Times, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Root
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:
CNN, Wired, Breitbart, Daily Kos, San Antonio Current, Media Matters for America, Axios, The Root and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
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, Gizmodo, Raw Story, Washington Press, twitchy.com and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
CNN Chief Jeff Zucker, Jake Tapper Respond to Town Hall Critics: “They'll Get Over It”
CNN Chief Jeff Zucker, Jake Tapper Respond to Town Hall Critics: “They'll Get Over It”
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Daily Caller
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
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, Political Wire, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
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
Addy Baird / ThinkProgress:
EXCLUSIVE: FedEx's secret deal with the NRA and the gun industry — While publicly trying to distance themselves from the NRA, FedEx has made a secret agreement with the association and other major players in the firearms industry. — More than two dozen companies have cut ties …
Discussion:
Washington Press, Breitbart, Guns.com, RedState, CBS New York, Balloon Juice, WRIC-TV, Mashable, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, FOX31 Denver, IJR and Daily Wire
Hamed Aleaziz / San Francisco Chronicle:
ICE confirms 150-plus arrests in California sweep, slams Schaaf's early warning — Federal officials said Tuesday they arrested more than 150 undocumented immigrants in a Northern California sweep aimed at countering local sanctuary laws, while suggesting Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision …
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Daily Beast
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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:
CNN, AOL and The Daily Caller
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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 Resurgent, The Daily Signal, Daily Wire and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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, Gizmodo, Axios, Jezebel, Joe.My.God., Washington Press and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
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:
The Intercept, ThinkProgress, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire and Politico
Ali Winston / The Verge:
Palantir has secretly been using New Orleans to test its predictive policing technology — Palantir deployed a predictive policing system in New Orleans that even city council members don't know about — Illustrations by Garret Beard and Alex Castro — In May and June 2013 …
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
David Hogg Is Fair Game for Critics — The Parkland survivor has chosen to insert himself into an important national policy debate. We who disagree with his views on guns have a duty to speak up against them. — David Hogg, the telegenic 17-year-old who survived the shooting in Parkland …
Discussion:
The Resurgent, The Daily Beast and ThinkProgress
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.
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 …
Gideon Resnick / The Daily Beast:
Democrats Flip Two State Legislative Seats in CT and NH, Bringing Trump-Era Total to 39 … Two Democrats won state legislative contests on Tuesday night, flipping the seats from Republican hands and marking the 38th and 39th legislative flips since President Trump's inauguration.
Discussion:
Political Wire, Daily Kos and Shareblue Media
David French / The Atlantic:
What Critics Don't Understand About Gun Culture — My wife knew something was amiss when the car blocked our driveway. She was outside our house, playing with our kids on our trampoline, when a car drove slowly down our rural Tennessee street. As it reached our house, it pulled partially in the driveway, and stopped.
Discussion:
The Root and No More Mister Nice Blog
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 »
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 …