Top Items:
New York Times:
White House Withdraws Jackson Nomination for V.A. Chief Amid Criticism — WASHINGTON — The White House withdrew the nomination of Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House physician, to lead the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday after lawmakers went public with a torrent of accusations leveled …
Discussion:
Politico, The Week, Common Dreams, Outside the Beltway, Eschaton, IJR, Althouse, ThinkProgress, Vox and Splinter
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Washington Post:
Ronny Jackson withdraws as nominee to lead Veterans Affairs after wave of misconduct allegations — White House physician Ronny L. Jackson has withdrawn himself from consideration to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs following numerous allegations of professional misconduct …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
New Allegations Emerge Against Ronny Jackson as White House Digs In — WASHINGTON — Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the White House physician nominated to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, provided “a large supply” of Percocet, a prescription opioid, to a White House military office staff member …
Discussion:
Vox, ThinkProgress, Axios, BuzzFeed, CNBC, HuffPost, MSNBC, Splinter, IJR, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Fox News, Washington Post, The Week, Outside the Beltway, AOL, Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon, CANNONFIRE, Politico, The Atlantic, CNN, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, CBS News, NPR, thenewcivilrightsmovement.com, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, The Hill and Task & Purpose
Washington Post:
VA nominee considers withdrawing as new allegations emerge of drinking, wrecking government vehicle … White House physician Ronny L. Jackson has grown frustrated with the nomination process to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs and has told colleagues he may remove his name from consideration …
Kevin Robillard / HuffPost:
Here's The White House Questionnaire For GOP Candidates Who Want Trump's Backing
Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump: Tester has a ‘big price to pay’ over VA nominee's withdrawal
Trump: Tester has a ‘big price to pay’ over VA nominee's withdrawal
Discussion:
National Review, ABC News, Washington Post and Raw Story
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Playbook: How long will Ronny Jackson last?
Playbook: How long will Ronny Jackson last?
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post and ABC News
New York Times:
Michael Cohen to Take Fifth Amendment in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit — Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal lawyer, will invoke his Fifth Amendment right in a lawsuit filed against the president by Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic film star better known as Stormy Daniels.
Discussion:
CNN, Taylor Marsh, Splinter, NY State of Politics, TheBlaze, HuffPost, Vox, Mother Jones and Daily Kos
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Josh Margolin / ABC News:
President Trump will personally review documents in Cohen case
President Trump will personally review documents in Cohen case
Discussion:
VICE News, Associated Press, Washington Times and Political Wire
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Trump on Cohen: ‘Nothing to do with me’
Trump on Cohen: ‘Nothing to do with me’
Discussion:
RedState and Political Wire
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Trump says Cohen ‘represented me’ in Stormy Daniels scandal
Trump says Cohen ‘represented me’ in Stormy Daniels scandal
Discussion:
National Review and Washington Post
Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Cohen to plead the Fifth in Stormy Daniels lawsuit
Cohen to plead the Fifth in Stormy Daniels lawsuit
Discussion:
RedState and Political Wire
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Mueller likely to find Trump offenses, Trump likely to fire him — Most voters think it is important to continue investigating whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia — but more believe President Trump will fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller before he's done.
Discussion:
Washington Press and Political Wire
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Washington Post:
Giuliani reopens negotiations about presidential interview with Mueller, but cautions special counsel …
Giuliani reopens negotiations about presidential interview with Mueller, but cautions special counsel …
Discussion:
NBC News, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, New York Times, The Week, CNN, Politico, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Political Wire and Washington Times
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Trump says he may change his mind on not getting involved in DOJ's Russia probe
Trump says he may change his mind on not getting involved in DOJ's Russia probe
Discussion:
Washington Post
Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Lawyers Seek to Determine Whether Mueller Has ‘Open Mind’
NBC News:
Trump's biggest problem might be the competency question — First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter — WASHINGTON — This morning, President Trump's pick to head the Department …
Kevin D. Williamson / Washington Post:
Kevin Williamson: The punishment I favor for abortion — Kevin D. Williamson is a Texas-based writer. — As a libertarian, I fully accept the motto that what a woman chooses to do with her own body is her business. As someone who can count, I believe that abortion involves two bodies.
CNN:
Pruitt fears White House undermining him ahead of hearings — Republicans wants answers from EPA chief — Washington (CNN)Embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt believes members of the administration are actively trying to get rid of him, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN.
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Salon, HuffPost and The Daily Caller
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Washington Post:
Scott Pruitt heads to Capitol Hill as White House probes signal his shaky status … On the eve of critical hearings on Capitol Hill, top White House officials are intensifying efforts to document wasteful spending by Scott Pruitt as President Trump weighs whether to keep supporting …
Discussion:
Axios, Splinter and The Daily Caller
Sarah Mimms / BuzzFeed:
The Center For American Progress Staff Was Shocked After Neera Tanden Named The Anonymous Harassment Victim In An All-Staff Meeting — The meeting comes after BuzzFeed News reported on allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation against those who reported at the progressive organization.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon and ThinkProgress
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump says Comey ‘guilty of crimes,’ warns DOJ he won't ‘stay away’ forever — President Trump, in a fiery exclusive interview with “Fox & Friends,” blasted former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday morning as a “liar and a leaker” who is “guilty of crimes” — while issuing a stern warning …
Discussion:
Vox, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and CNN
Lee Fang / The Intercept:
Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race — Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives, has for years been a prolific campaigner on behalf of current and potential members of Congress. It was no surprise, then …
Damon Young / The Root:
Kanye West Doesn't Care About Black People — Last year Panama Jackson, a man who, in the 14 years that we've known each other, has become one of my best friends, published a piece about his mother's support of Donald Trump, and revealed how that ruined his relationship with her.
Discussion:
People.com, RedState, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Daily Wire
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Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:
Macron Says Trump Will Likely Kill The Iran Deal — US flip-flops on treaties are “insane,” says the French president. — BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief — French President Emmanuel Macron believes President Donald Trump will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal as part of “a strategy of increasing tension …
Discussion:
CNN, Just Security, Wall Street Journal, Washington Press, Al Jazeera English, Political Wire, Daily Wire, Washington Post, Politico and The Week
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Wes Kosova / Bloomberg:
Macron Says He Thinks Trump Will Pull Out of Iran Nuclear Deal
Macron Says He Thinks Trump Will Pull Out of Iran Nuclear Deal
Discussion:
The American Conservative
Ian Mohr / Page Six:
Tina Brown wants no part of Charlie Rose's #MeToo redemption series — Disgraced CBS anchor Charlie Rose is being slated to star in a show where he'll interview other high-profile men who have also been toppled by #MeToo scandals. — The move was revealed by editor, writer and women's advocate Tina Brown …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon, Jezebel and Mediaite
Bob Christie / Associated Press:
Arizona's only black legislators chastised after race talk — PHOENIX (AP) — The only two black members of the Arizona Legislature were formally chastised for speaking out against a Republican lawmaker's published column, which included a racial slur and they say derided black activists …
Discussion:
Arizona Republic and Raw Story
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Alexi McCammond / Axios:
Exclusive poll: GOP Senate seats threatened in Arizona, Nevada — Data: SurveyMonkey poll conducted April 2-23, 2018. Poll Methodology; Note: “No answer” responses not shown; Chart: Axios Visuals — Democrats have a real shot at winning two of the three Senate seats where Republicans …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, Political Wire and New York Times
Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:
Meet the New Boss. Actually Quite Different From the Old Boss. — In the end, the wheelers and dealers faded away, trying to get what they could under cover of darkness. Their loss of stature was abrupt. Only those willing to soldier on as subordinates remained, ceding authority to their leader, President Trump.
Reuters:
U.S. weekly jobless claims fall to lowest level since 1969 — WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits dropped to their lowest level in more than 48 years last week, suggesting that March's slowdown in job growth was probably temporary.
RealClearInvestigations:
Unpacking the Other Clinton-Linked Russia Dossier — A copy of the little-publicized second dossier in the Trump-Russia affair, acquired by RealClearInvestigations, raises new questions about the origins of the Trump investigation, particularly about the role of Clinton partisans and the extent …
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics and Judicial Watch
The Daily Beast:
Top Trump Fundraiser Caught Working for Assad Ally … Brian Ballard, viewed by some as the lobbyist closest to President Donald Trump, is working for an ally of Syria's brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad. — Ballard's firm, Ballard Partners, disclosed on March 15 that it has taken …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Raising the Ceiling, but Not the Floor, on Potential Democratic House Gains — Playing field widens even as odds of turnover don't change — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — The number of potentially vulnerable Republican seats is growing, and we're adding an extra 10 GOP-held seats to the Likely Republican column this week.
Discussion:
New York Times
Nicholas Kristof / New York Times:
Why Does Trump Treat Immigrant Kids Cruelly? Because He Can — A lifetime ago, Anne Frank's family applied for visas to the United States to escape Hitler, but we rejected the Franks and other desperate Jewish refugees. We thought: This is Europe's problem, not ours, and we don't want to be overrun by “those people.”