Top Items:
New York Times:
McMaster to Resign as National Security Adviser, and Will Be Replaced by John Bolton — WASHINGTON — Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the battle-tested Army officer tapped as President Trump's national security adviser last year to stabilize a turbulent foreign policy operation …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, CNNMoney, The Daily Beast, FiveThirtyEight, AOL, No More Mister Nice Blog, Just Security, Home Page Rotator, Vox, JustOneMinute, New York Magazine, The Root, The Week, VICE News, Mother Jones, The American Spectator, Splinter, Politicus USA, IJR, NBC News, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, Little Green Footballs, MelaniePhillips.com, Mediaite, Political Wire, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God. and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »
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Eliana Johnson / Politico:
McMaster firing upends plan to oust other top Trump officials — President Donald Trump's decision to abruptly fire national security adviser H.R. McMaster surprised senior White House aides who had been preparing a single statement announcing the departure of multiple top Trump officials …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, The Week, Axios and Political Wire
Bloomberg:
Inside Trump's Snap Decision to Oust McMaster — McMaster Ousted Days After His Briefing to Trump on Putin Call — Trump names ex-U.S. envoy Bolton as national security adviser — President Donald Trump made a snap decision to oust H.R. McMaster as national security adviser …
Discussion:
Politico
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Nobody Is Left to Save the World From Trump Now — From the outset of his presidency, to which he was elevated with barely any preparation, Donald Trump was surrounded by a protective cordon of advisers, as a child monarch might. In return for absorbing his tantrums, they would educate …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
John Bolton, Trump's ultra-hawkish new national security adviser, explained — Bolton has recently called for war with both Iran and North Korea. — President Donald Trump finally jettisoned National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Thursday afternoon. His replacement is John Bolton …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Bloomberg, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The Week, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, Politicus USA, New Republic, Axios, Breitbart, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, Hit & Run, CBS New York, Jamie Dupree - AJC, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, twitchy.com, The Federalist, Fox News Insider, KFOR-TV and Daily Wire
NBC News:
Amid White House turmoil, Trump mused about life without a chief of staff — WASHINGTON — In the midst of a Cabinet shake-up and a possible staff upheaval, President Donald Trump considered firing his chief of staff this month and not naming a successor, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
Discussion:
RedState, Outside the Beltway, Politicus USA and Political Wire
Cory Bennett / Politico:
Bolton, McMaster present contrast on Russian hacking — John Bolton, President Donald Trump's pick to replace H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser, could bring a vastly different approach on Russia's election meddling to the White House. — In their public comments …
Discussion:
Shakesville and israpundit.org
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
It's Time to Panic Now — It's time to push the panic button. — John Bolton's appointment as national security adviser—a post that requires no Senate confirmation—puts the United States on a path to war. And it's fair to say President Donald Trump wants us on that path.
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“Now I'm F—ing Doing It My Way”: Jubilant and Self-Liberated, the President Prepares for War with Mueller
“Now I'm F—ing Doing It My Way”: Jubilant and Self-Liberated, the President Prepares for War with Mueller
Discussion:
New York Times, Splinter, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Raw Story and RedState
Mark Davis / Townhall.com:
John Bolton: The Wisdom of This Choice Is Made Clear in the Panic of Liberals
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Bolton bombshell: the clashes to come
Bolton bombshell: the clashes to come
Discussion:
The Week, The Daily Beast and Breitbart
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Why Trump Hasn't Fired Mattis
Bryan Bender / Politico:
Bolton pick underscores Trump's foreign policy confusion
Bolton pick underscores Trump's foreign policy confusion
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CANNONFIRE and Axios
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
With Bolton, Trump Creates a Historically Hard-Line Foreign Policy Team
With Bolton, Trump Creates a Historically Hard-Line Foreign Policy Team
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Guardian, Daily Kos, NBC News and The Week
The Daily Beast:
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Lone DNC Hacker’ Guccifer 2.0 Slipped Up and Revealed He Was a Russian Intelligence Officer … Guccifer 2.0, the “lone hacker” who took credit for providing WikiLeaks with stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee, was in fact an officer of Russia's military intelligence directorate …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, VICE News, emptywheel, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, Mashable, Balloon Juice, RedState, Mother Jones, Vox, Axios, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »
Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Bolton Was Early Beneficiary of Cambridge Analytica's Facebook Data — WASHINGTON — The political action committee founded by John R. Bolton, President Trump's incoming national security adviser, was one of the earliest customers of Cambridge Analytica, which it hired specifically …
Discussion:
Vox, Bangor Daily News, Gizmodo, ABC News, AOL, CNBC and checkyourfact.com, more at Mediagazer »
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The Guardian:
Leaked: Cambridge Analytica's blueprint for Trump victory — Exclusive: Former employee explains how presentation showed techniques used to target voters … The blueprint for how Cambridge Analytica claimed to have won the White House for Donald Trump by using Google, Snapchat, Twitter …
Eli Watkins / CNN:
Karen McDougal tells CNN Trump tried to pay her after sex — Washington (CNN)Donald Trump once tried to offer Karen McDougal money after they had been intimate, the former Playboy model told Anderson Cooper Thursday in an exclusive interview on CNN. — “After we had been intimate …
Discussion:
thecut, The Week, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Law & Crime, Mashable, The Guardian, WGN-TV and Politicus USA
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Eli Watkins / CNN:
McDougal says she was intimate with Trump ‘many dozens’ of times
McDougal says she was intimate with Trump ‘many dozens’ of times
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, CBS Pittsburgh, FOX59, Daily Wire, Political Wire and American Prospect
Rachel Wolfe / Vox:
How to watch the 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels
How to watch the 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News, CBS News and twitchy.com
The Sun:
The shooter is believed to be holed up in a Super U store in Trèbes, near Carcassonne — A SUSPECTED ISIS gunman has killed two and wounded a dozen others as he took eight hostages at a French supermarket, according to police. — The attacker, who screamed “Vengeance for Syria!” …
Discussion:
USA Today, Telegraph, Jihad Watch and Scared Monkeys
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Phil Mattingly / CNN:
Idaho senator holds up bill over political rivalry with deceased governor — Congress facing government shutdown, yet again — (CNN)As Congress raced toward another spending deadline, most were watching Sen. Rand Paul's objections to a proposed spending plan.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos, Mother Jones and Conservative Review
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
McConnell secures budget deal with ‘begging, pleading and cajoling’
McConnell secures budget deal with ‘begging, pleading and cajoling’
Discussion:
RedState, New York Times, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Conservative Review, New York Magazine, Gizmodo and twitchy.com
The Guardian:
Our manifesto to fix America's gun laws — After the massacre at our high school, our lives have changed forever - so we're proposing these changes to halt mass shootings — by The editorial staff of the Eagle Eye … As a student publication, the Eagle Eye works to tell the stories of those who do not have a voice.
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Bloomberg:
Trump Fundraiser Offered to Help Lift Sanctions on Russian Firms — Elliott Broidy proposed work for clients of Moscow lawyer — Pre-inauguration discussions didn't lead to Broidy's hiring — Elliott Broidy, a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump, offered last year to help …
Daily Mail:
'I want to know what the f*** you're doing with my f***ing money!': Cardi B flies into rage over paying 40% in taxes in expletive filled Instagram post — It's tax season, and Cardi B is not a happy camper. — The New York City native, 25, took to social media on Thursday launching …
Discussion:
Althouse
Katie Langin / Science:
Exclusive: 'I've never seen anything like it.' Video of mating deep-sea anglerfish stuns biologists — Anglerfish, with their menacing gape and dangling lure, are among the most curious inhabitants of the deep ocean. Scientists have hardly ever seen them alive in their natural environment.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, BGR and Gizmodo
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Stormy, Summer and Karen are the GOP's worst nightmares — Greg Sargent had a good piece this morning about how the Stormy Daniels hurricane might trip Trump up more than he realizes. It's a thought I've had as well: … It's impossible to know for sure whether women as a group will rise to the occasion.
Discussion:
New York Times
Brian M. Rosenthal / New York Times:
De Blasio Donor Says He Steered Thousands in Bribes to Mayor's Campaigns — CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A Long Island restaurateur testified under oath on Thursday that he steered tens of thousands of dollars to Mayor Bill de Blasio's political campaigns in return for favorable treatment by the city.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
David Freedlander / Politico:
Sam Nunberg Is Still Talking — First, Sam Nunberg made plans to meet me for lunch, but canceled at the last minute. So now we've made plans for dinner at his favorite Vietnamese spot near his Upper East Side apartment, but when he arrives 20 minutes late, Nunberg says he has already eaten …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple Tries to Win Back Students and Teachers With Low-Cost iPad — Company holding rare education-focused event next week — Lower-cost and Pro models have recently reignited iPad sales — Apple Inc. is preparing to introduce new low-cost iPads and education software next week in a bid …
Discussion:
Engadget and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Amy L. Wax / Wall Street Journal:
The University of Denial — Aggressive suppression of the truth is a central feature of American higher education. — 'Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away," observed Philip K. Dick in “I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon. Somewhere deep in a file drawer …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Instapundit
Economist:
The addiction game — Facebook's business relies on three elements: keeping users glued to their screens, collecting data about their behaviour and convincing advertisers to pay billions of dollars to reach them with targeted ads. The firm has an incentive to promote material that grabs attention and to sell ads to anyone.