Top Items:
Axios:
Paul Ryan won't run for re-election — Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans this morning that he will not run for re-election in November. — Why it matters: House Republicans were already in a very tough spot for the midterms, with many endangered members and the good chance that Democrats could win the majority.
Discussion:
RedState, Vox, Politico, National Review, ABC News, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, CNBC, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, HuffPost, IJR, Daily Wire, MSNBC, Fox News Insider, Washington Free Beacon, Hit & Run, Shakesville, New York Magazine, Media Matters for America, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog, AOL, The Guardian, KFOR-TV, Sean Hannity, Common Dreams, fox5sandiego.com, NBC News, Daily Kos, Bustle, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, CBS Miami, Splinter and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Tampa Bay Times:
Rep. Dennis Ross is retiring — WASHINGTON - Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, told his staff this morning he is retiring. — “Eight years takes its time on you. ... There's got to be an exit strategy at some point,” Ross said in an interview. — He said he was informing staff …
Axios:
Paul Ryan confidants say he's not running for reelection — House Speaker Paul Ryan has told confidants that he will announce soon that he won't run for reelection in November, according to sources with knowledge of the conversations. — Why it matters: House Republicans were already …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Daily Beast, ABC News, Shareblue Media, Politico, Outside the Beltway, VICE News, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite
Washington Post:
House Speaker Paul Ryan will not seek reelection, he tells friends and colleagues — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has told friends and several colleagues that he has decided not to seek reelection this year and will soon inform colleagues of his plans, according to several people familiar with his plans.
Peter Suderman / Hit & Run:
Republicans Have Finally Been Revealed as the Party of Fiscal Ruin — Republicans in Washington have often embraced the idea of fiscal responsibility, and sought to cast themselves as the party of choice for anyone who cares about sound budgeting. This was particularly true during the Obama era …
Discussion:
CNN
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Ryan rocks Republicans with retirement
Ryan rocks Republicans with retirement
Discussion:
Vox, Talking Points Memo, Axios, Politico, FiveThirtyEight and The Week
New York Times:
Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-Election in November
Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-Election in November
Discussion:
Raw Story, Axios, The Week, twitchy.com and Jezebel
Adam Shaw / Fox News:
House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election
House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, RedState, Roll Call, ABC News and Breitbart
CNN:
House Speaker Paul Ryan won't seek re-election
House Speaker Paul Ryan won't seek re-election
Discussion:
New Republic, Axios, The Nation, Daily Kos, Conservative News Today, Raw Story, Mashable, The Daily Caller, HuffPost, IJR, CNBC, Daily Wire, The Week and Bustle
Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Freedom Caucus chair: House leadership ‘not on my bucket list’
Freedom Caucus chair: House leadership ‘not on my bucket list’
Discussion:
RedState, Breitbart and Washington Free Beacon
David Wasserman / The Cook Political Report:
Ryan Retirement Puts WI-01 at Risk and Throws House GOP Into Deeper Turmoil
Ryan Retirement Puts WI-01 at Risk and Throws House GOP Into Deeper Turmoil
Discussion:
Axios
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Florida's Dennis Ross to retire from U.S. House
Florida's Dennis Ross to retire from U.S. House
Discussion:
Florida Politics
David Byler / Weekly Standard:
Could Democrats Steal Paul Ryan's Seat?
Could Democrats Steal Paul Ryan's Seat?
Discussion:
Vox and Shareblue Media
Elaina Plott / The Atlantic:
Paul Ryan Makes His Exit
Paul Ryan Makes His Exit
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Axios, Daily Wire, CBS Dallas, TheBlaze, NPR and CBS New York
New York Times:
Trump Sought to Fire Mueller in December — In early December, President Trump, furious over news reports about a new round of subpoenas from the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, told advisers in no uncertain terms that Mr. Mueller's investigation had to be shut down.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Washington Post, NBC News, Politico, Syracuse Post-Standard, Bloomberg, Salon, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, Conservative News Today, VICE News, BloombergQuint, Mediaite, CNN, Daily Kos, MSNBC, The Week, Bustle, Raw Story, IJR and 444
RELATED:
CNN:
Trump considering firing Rosenstein to check Mueller — (CNN)President Donald Trump is considering firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, multiple people familiar with the discussions tell CNN, a move that has gained urgency following the raid of the office of the President's personal lawyer.
New York Times:
At the White House, Trump Takes Selfies and Seethes Over Mueller — WASHINGTON — Outside the White House, President Trump grinned for selfies with Alabama's Crimson Tide, telling the college football champions that they had beaten their rivals so brutally, “you flat-out made them quit” …
Discussion:
IJR, Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams, Vanity Fair, twitchy.com and CNN
Isaac Chotiner / Slate:
“The ACLU Would Be Up in Arms” — On Tuesday night, with reports circulating that he was furious about both the raid on the offices of his lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the gathering force of the Mueller investigation, President Trump dined with famed law professor and pundit Alan Dershowitz.
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Law & Crime, neo-neocon, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones and The Atlantic
Elana Schor / Politico:
Bipartisan Senate bill to protect Mueller set to advance — A bipartisan Senate bill designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job is on track for a vote in the Judiciary Committee, according to a source briefed on the committee's plans. — It's a significant step forward …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Talking Points Memo and CNN
Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
Dana Boente, former top Justice Department official now at FBI, has been interviewed by Mueller and turned over notes
Dana Boente, former top Justice Department official now at FBI, has been interviewed by Mueller and turned over notes
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Press, Politico, MSNBC and Raw Story
New York Times:
The Law Is Coming, Mr. Trump
The Law Is Coming, Mr. Trump
Discussion:
CNBC, twitchy.com, Mediaite, HuffPost, Above the Law, Bustle, American Thinker, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and National Law Journal
Benjamin Wittes / Lawfare:
How the Cohen Raids and Trump's Reactions Edge Us Toward Confrontation
How the Cohen Raids and Trump's Reactions Edge Us Toward Confrontation
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, Politico, NBC News and Washington Post
CNN:
Special counsel team met with Trump lawyers on day of Cohen raid
Special counsel team met with Trump lawyers on day of Cohen raid
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
McConnell: Legislation to protect Mueller not needed
McConnell: Legislation to protect Mueller not needed
Discussion:
Washington Post
The Verge:
Here's how much Facebook donated to every lawmaker questioning Mark Zuckerberg this week — Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today, fresh off the heels of a grueling five-hour joint session before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees yesterday.
Discussion:
9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
David Dayen / The Intercept:
The Senate Is Afraid to Govern. That's Great News for Facebook.
The Senate Is Afraid to Govern. That's Great News for Facebook.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, emptywheel, HuffPost and CNN
Axios:
What Mark Zuckerberg didn't say — Mark Zuckerberg's Senate …
What Mark Zuckerberg didn't say — Mark Zuckerberg's Senate …
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, One America News Network and Breitbart
Blair Guild / CBS News:
Sen. Ted Cruz grills Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook political bias
Sen. Ted Cruz grills Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook political bias
Discussion:
RedState, IJR, CBS Dallas, Vox, Scared Monkeys and Breitbart, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Trump Tells Russia to ‘Get Ready’ With Missiles Coming at Syria — Attack on air field last year failed to deter chemical weapons — More forcible response could provoke escalation of conflict — President Donald Trump warned Russia to “get ready” because a volley of U.S. missiles …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Spectator USA, CNN, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Townhall, NPR, The American Conservative, Washington Times, Lawfare, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, Defense One, Sputnik International, Sean Hannity, CBS Los Angeles, Fox News Insider, Power Line, No More Mister Nice Blog, TheBlaze, Shakesville and CNBC
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New York Times:
Trump Weighs More Robust Military Strike Against Syria
Trump Weighs More Robust Military Strike Against Syria
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC, Associated Press, AOL, Just Security and Sputnik International
Dahlia Nehme / Reuters:
Russian envoy to Lebanon: Any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be shot down
Russian envoy to Lebanon: Any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be shot down
Discussion:
CNN, BBC, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, National Review, Politico, Hit & Run, Mother Jones, Breitbart, RedState, Roll Call, Common Dreams and VICE News
Mark Hodge / The Sun:
‘GET READY RUSSIA!’ Donald Trump warns Putin his missiles are coming 'fast and smart …
‘GET READY RUSSIA!’ Donald Trump warns Putin his missiles are coming 'fast and smart …
Discussion:
Power Line, Fox News Insider, CNBC and CANNONFIRE
Tom Embury-Dennis / The Independent:
Russia will shoot down US missiles fired at Syria and retaliate against launch sites, says ambassador
Russia will shoot down US missiles fired at Syria and retaliate against launch sites, says ambassador
Discussion:
Vox, Common Dreams, HuffPost, Raw Story and The Daily Caller
Axios:
ABC: Comey compares Trump to mob boss — A source present at the taping says James Comey's interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, airing Sunday at 10 p.m. as a “20/20” special, is “going to shock the president and his team.” — Keep reading — 121 WORDS
Discussion:
Daily Wire, NewsBusters, Raw Story and Political Wire
RELATED:
Josh Meyer / Politico:
Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for 5-hour interview
Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for 5-hour interview
Discussion:
Political Wire
Acreage Holdings:
Former Speaker of the House John Boehner and Former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld Join Leading Cannabis Company — Appointments Add Unmatched Experience to Acreage Holdings' Board of Advisors — Acreage Holdings ("Acreage") (www.acreageholdings.com), one of the nation's largest …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Vox, Talking Points Memo, CNN, CNBC, Conservative News Today, Boing Boing, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, IJR, Roll Call and The Week
RELATED:
Jennifer Kaplan / Bloomberg:
Ex-Speaker John Boehner Joins Marijuana Firm's Advisory Board — Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld also added — Watershed moment for cannabis as drug goes mainstream — The U.S. marijuana industry has a new spokesman: John Boehner. — The Republican former Speaker of the House …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, AOL, Axios, BloombergQuint, Raw Story, New York Magazine, VICE News and Splinter
Talking Points Memo:
Ezra Cohen-Watnick To Join DOJ As National Security Adviser To Sessions — Former Trump National Security Council official Ezra Cohen-Watnick is joining the Department of Justice as a national security adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a source familiar with the matter told TPM Wednesday.
Don Lemon / CNN:
Michael Cohen to CNN: FBI was ‘professional, courteous, respectful’ in raids, counter to Trump's depiction — New York (CNN)In his first comments since the FBI raid on his home and office, Michael Cohen said the FBI agents “were extremely professional, courteous and respectful.”
Jess Cagle / People.com:
Mariah Carey: My Battle with Bipolar Disorder — In this week's PEOPLE cover story, Mariah Carey reveals for the first time her battle with bipolar disorder. — Although she was first diagnosed in 2001 (when she was hospitalized for a physical and mental breakdown), “I didn't want to believe it …
Discussion:
The FADER
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp: Trump ‘asked me to switch parties’ … Donald Trump was still weeks away from being sworn in as president when, according to one Democratic senator, he was already trying to get her to defect to the Republicans. — “When I visited with him in Trump Tower …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, New York Magazine and The Week
Nick Visser / HuffPost:
Laura Ingraham's Sponsors Still Bolting Over Comments About Parkland Survivor — Blue Apron and SlimFast announced that their ads will no longer appear on the program after Monday's episode. — Fox News host Laura Ingraham returned to the airwaves on Monday, ready to fight what she described as the “left's propaganda.”
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Salon