Top Items:
John Santucci / ABC News:
Several White House staffers terminated or reassigned for security clearance issues: Sources — Several White House staffers have been terminated or reassigned for issues related to their security clearances — with at least one individual employed in the Office of the First Lady relieved of duty …
Discussion:
Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite
RELATED:
Mike Allen / Axios:
Trump's dangerously thin red line — In early February, after President Trump's well-received State of the Union address and Davos trip, economic adviser Gary Cohn was having lunch with the president and Chief of Staff John Kelly, in the small dining room off the Oval Office. — “I've got to tell you.
Discussion:
Politico, Dealbreaker, Politicus USA, Raw Story, One America News Network, Vox, ABC News, The Daily Beast and Breitbart
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Playbook: Four unfolding events that show the crazy times we're in — THE STEP BACK: FOUR UNFOLDING EVENTS THAT SHOW WE'RE LIVING IN RIDICULOUSLY CRAZY TIMES ... REASON 1: THE SPEAKER IS WAGING A VERY PUBLIC WAR WITH THE PRESIDENT IT LOOKS LIKE HE'LL LOSE: SPEAKER PAUL RYAN has privately …
Washington Post:
How the Washington establishment is losing out to little-known Trump advisers on trade … Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson privately warned senior trade officials on Tuesday that President Trump's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum could endanger …
Discussion:
Reuters, Business Insider and Politicus USA
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Donald Trump is producing the greatest reality show ever
Donald Trump is producing the greatest reality show ever
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, NPR, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, CNNMoney, Splinter, Al Jazeera English, Roll Call, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Press, Raw Story, Mediaite, Breitbart, Towleroad, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, Washington Free Beacon, AOL, Political Wire, Tribunist, Bustle and Talking Points Memo
Associated Press:
Wave of exits from West Wing sparks talk of brain drain
Wave of exits from West Wing sparks talk of brain drain
Discussion:
New York Times, Shareblue Media and Politico
Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump blames past presidents as far back George H.W. Bush for economic woes
Trump blames past presidents as far back George H.W. Bush for economic woes
Discussion:
Axios and One America News Network
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
Former Russian Spy Poisoned by Nerve Agent, British Police Say — LONDON — A former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent in England this week, the British authorities said on Wednesday, heightening suspicions that the episode was an assassination attempt by a national government …
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
The Guardian:
Police confirm Sergei Skripal was poisoned with nerve agent — Scotland Yard also say first responding police officer now ‘seriously ill’ in hospital … The former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was deliberately poisoned with a nerve agent in a case that police are now treating as attempted murder …
Discussion:
VICE News, Raw Story and Balloon Juice
Vladimir Isachenkov / Associated Press:
Putin praises Trump, says US political system eating itself — MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin lavished praise on President Donald Trump on Wednesday, but added that he was sorely disappointed with the U.S. political system, saying that it has been “eating itself up.”
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Daily Kos
Sarah Fitzpatrick / NBC News:
Stormy Daniels sues Trump, says ‘hush agreement’ invalid because he never signed — Adult film star Stormy Daniels sued Donald Trump Tuesday, alleging that he never signed the nondisclosure agreement that his lawyer had arranged with her. — The civil suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CNN, Raw Story, CNBC, Boing Boing, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Bustle, Right Wing Watch, NPR, Roll Call, Common Dreams, Refinery29, Women in the World, Towleroad, IJR, Daily Wire, Betsy's Page, Washington Press, Politico, KTLA, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CBS Miami, The Daily Caller, TMZ.com, Vox, CBS Philly, WPIX 11 New York, Politicus USA, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, RedState, WFLA-TV, Political Wire, Splinter and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Eric Bradner / CNN:
With primary ending, Cruz takes opening shot at Beto O'Rourke's name — Cruz, O'Rourke respond to name-mocking ad — Washington (CNN)Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's first shot at his expected Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O'Rourke? Mocking his name. — As Tuesday's primaries were closing …
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YouTube:
If You're Gonna Run in Texas | Ted Cruz for Senate Statewide Radio Ad — Stand with Ted: http://www.tedcruz.org Follow Ted: http://twitter.com/tedcruz Like Ted: http://fb.com/tedcruzpage Donate: http://tedcruz.org/donate
Discussion:
NBC News, The Daily Caller, National Review, NPR, IJR and Washington Press
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Ben Carson Removes Anti-Discrimination Language From HUD Mission Statement — It will no longer reference “inclusive” communities “free from discrimination.” — WASHINGTON Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is changing the mission statement of his agency …
Discussion:
ABC News, ThinkProgress, The Root, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Curbed, LGBTQ Nation, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Power Briefing: Trump's new D.C. reality
Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:
For Two Months, I Got My News From Print Newspapers. Here's What I Learned. — I first got news of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., via an alert on my watch. Even though I had turned off news notifications months ago, the biggest news still somehow finds a way to slip through.
Michael Schwirtz / New York Times:
U.S. Holocaust Museum Revokes Award to Aung San Suu Kyi — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has revoked a prestigious human rights award it had given to the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, now Myanmar's civilian leader, faulting her for failing to halt or even acknowledge …
RELATED:
Andrew Hollinger / ushmm.org:
Press Contacts — Dear State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
Press Contacts — Dear State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller
Sarah Jones / New Republic:
Requiem for a Strike — West Virginia teachers have a deal. On Tuesday, a compromise reached by a conference committee composed of Democratic and Republican members of the state House and Senate raised public worker pay by 5 percent. Teachers and union representatives said the deal …
Discussion:
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Vox, ThinkProgress, New York Times, The Guardian, Bloomberg, TheBlaze, Register-Herald, The Intercept and Phoenix New Times
Elizabeth Bruenig / Washington Post:
It's time to give socialism a try — In the United States, we've arrived at a pair of mutually exclusive convictions: that liberal, capitalist democracies are guaranteed by their nature to succeed and that in our Trumpist moment they seem to be failing in deeply unsettling ways.
Discussion:
RedState
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Associated Press:
Sessions: California immigration policy defies common sense — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told California law enforcement officials Wednesday that a lawsuit he filed against the state challenges limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities …
Discussion:
Crime and Consequences Blog
RELATED:
Christian Davenport / Washington Post:
Why is Paul Allen building the world's largest airplane? Perhaps to launch a space shuttle called Black Ice. … A massive airplane being built by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen moved a step closer to flight last week, when it crept out of its hangar in Mojave, Calif. …
Discussion:
GeekWire and Daily Mail
Wall Street Journal:
Russian Influence Campaign Extracted Americans' Personal Data — Operators used social media to pitch fake business directories, petitions in return for information — All the Facebook account Black4Black asked for was some personal information about Ajah Hales and other Cleveland-area small-business owners.
Discussion:
East Bay Times and Engadget, more at Mediagazer »
Nigel Jaquiss / Willamette Week:
In 2011, Portland Police Investigated a Sexual Assault Complaint Against Billionaire Mark Cuban. He Wasn't Charged. Here's What Happened. — WW has obtained the transcript of a Portland Police detective's interview with Cuban. “Oh my Lord,” Cuban said. “Oh my f***ing Lord.”
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Deadspin, ProFootballTalk and The Big Lead
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Nunberg Says He Enjoyed Defiance But Will Comply With Mueller — Says president ‘never did anything illegal’ around him — Plans to testify on Friday, hand over subpoenaed emails — Longtime Donald Trump associate Sam Nunberg said he loved the attention he received from a round …
Meghan McCarron / Eater:
Everything You Know About Tex-Mex Is Wrong — Overshadowed by barbecue in its home state, Tex-Mex is the most important, least understood regional cuisine in America — The official version of chili con carne can only be made by people from Texas. It's literally the law: In 1977 …
Michael Tackett / New York Times:
Blue-Collar Trump Voters Are Shrugging at Their Tax Cuts — DAYTON, Ohio — At Slyder's Tavern, Matt Kazee, a machinist, drank a couple of beers as he waited for burgers to take home for dinner. His tab was about equal to the increase in his take-home pay after President Trump's tax cut found its way into the nation's paychecks.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Bloomberg:
Trump Fundraiser's Email Breach Shows Risks Before Midterms — Broidy learned of hack last week from reporter, lawyer says — Emails show his moves in GOP finance, foreign affairs circles — A top Republican fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign learned last week that his email accounts …
Bloomberg:
Wells Fargo Is the Go-To Bank for Gunmakers and the NRA — San Francisco-based firm inherited its relationship with NRA — Banks arrange for weapons companies to access loans and bonds — Wells Fargo & Co. has emerged as the preferred financier for the U.S. gun industry.
Vladimir Kara-Murza / Washington Post:
Washington pays tribute to a Russian statesman. So why did Russian diplomats stay away? — Last week, on the third anniversary of the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, his family, friends, and colleagues gathered in Washington to unveil the world's first official memorial to him.
Edvard Pettersson / Bloomberg:
‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Producer to Pay $60 Million in Settlement — Movie was allegedly financed with stolen Malaysian funds — Lawsuits are part of wider U.S. probe of stolen 1MDB funds — The producer of the “Wolf of Wall Street” agreed to pay $60 million to settle claims it financed …
New York Times:
Adviser to Emirates With Ties to Trump Aides Is Cooperating With Special Counsel — WASHINGTON — An adviser to the United Arab Emirates with ties to current and former aides to President Trump is cooperating with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and gave testimony last week to a grand jury …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Salon, Hullabaloo, AOL, New York Magazine, RedState, CNN, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Raw Story, Washington Times and Political Wire
TMZ.com:
O.J. Simpson's ‘Confession’ on FOX Special — This never-before-seen video is the smoking gun in the upcoming FOX special, ‘The Lost Confession?’ ... and it provides the reason O.J. Simpson went to Nicole Brown Simpson's house the night she was murdered. — Simpson is interviewed …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
‘Cannabis candidate’ accused of abusing women and resume inflation — CHICAGO — Benjamin Thomas Wolf, an Illinois congressional candidate whose provocative campaign has captured national media attention, has smoked weed in front of an American flag, brandished an AR-15 in a campaign ad and is running ads on porn sites.
Discussion:
The New York Observer
Arelis R. Hernández / Washington Post:
Exodus from Puerto Rico grows as island struggles to rebound from Hurricane Maria … SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — There have been three muses in Ramoncito “El Andino” Rodríguez's life: love, lament and la isla, Puerto Rico. — The founder of one of the oldest musical acts here …
Discussion:
Shakesville