Top Items:
Ed Silverman / STAT:
Trump's lawyer pitched himself as a fixer to Novartis and got paid $1.2 million — T — he curious relationship between one of the world's biggest drug makers and President Trump's personal lawyer began early last year when Michael Cohen, a longtime fixer for the president …
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Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Avenatti Accuses The Wrong Michael Cohens Of Making ‘Fraudulent’ Payments — Michael Avenatti, porn star Stormy Daniels' lawyer, released a seven-page dossier on Tuesday containing a list of payments purportedly made to Michael Cohen, the lawyer for President Donald Trump.
CNN:
Inside Michael Cohen's aggressive pitch promising access to Trump — Analyst: This is the swampiest of swampy — (CNN)Michael Cohen served loyally as Donald Trump's right-hand man for more than a decade, taking care of anything and everything the New York real estate baron needed to get done.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Hot Air, Raw Story, The Federalist and Mediaite
Justin Elliott / ProPublica:
Russian Oligarch-Linked Firm That Paid Michael Cohen Was Also Represented by Trump Lawyer Marc Kasowitz — The news on Tuesday that the same shell company that Michael Cohen, a longtime personal lawyer for Donald Trump, had used to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels had also received …
Discussion:
RedState, New Republic, New York Times, NPR, Above the Law, New York Magazine and Washington Monthly
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Novartis paid Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen more than $1 million for work he was unable to do, company says — Drug giant Novartis paid President Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen more than $1 million for work that he actually ended up being “unable” to do, the company said Wednesday.
Washington Post:
Treasury inspector general launches probe into possible leak of Michael Cohen's banking records — The Treasury Department's inspector general is investigating whether confidential banking information related to a company controlled by President Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen may have been leaked, a spokesman said.
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, ABC News, New York Post, Washington Press, IJR, Talking Points Memo and NY State of Politics
Eli Rosenberg / Washington Post:
Russia-linked company that hired Michael Cohen registered alt-right websites during election
Russia-linked company that hired Michael Cohen registered alt-right websites during election
Discussion:
NBC News, ThinkProgress and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Michael Cohen Was Selling Access To Trump, Says Group That Paid Into His Shell Company
Michael Cohen Was Selling Access To Trump, Says Group That Paid Into His Shell Company
Discussion:
Reuters, Fox News, STAT, Joe.My.God., American Prospect and Jezebel
NBC News:
Stormy lawyer: Transactions suggest Cohen was ‘selling access’ to Trump
Stormy lawyer: Transactions suggest Cohen was ‘selling access’ to Trump
Discussion:
CNBC, Crooked Media, Daily Kos, Breitbart, Shakesville, MSNBC and The Week
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
The Special Counsel's Office Has Been Looking Into Payments To Michael Cohen's Company Since Last Year
The Special Counsel's Office Has Been Looking Into Payments To Michael Cohen's Company Since Last Year
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Political Wire
Margaret Talev / Bloomberg:
Giuliani Says Trump Was ‘Unaware’ of Cohen's Consulting Income
mccain.senate.gov:
STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON THE NOMINATION OF GINA HASPEL TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE CIA — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on the nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the CIA:
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Mattias / Leah Vukmir:
While 9/11 mastermind calls for obstruction of Haspel nomination, Baldwin stays silent
While 9/11 mastermind calls for obstruction of Haspel nomination, Baldwin stays silent
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and New York Times
Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:
‘She Should Have Fought Back. Other People Did’: Inside Gina Haspel's Black Site
‘She Should Have Fought Back. Other People Did’: Inside Gina Haspel's Black Site
Discussion:
The Cipher Brief, Washington Post, CNN, Politico, ABC News, ProPublica, Hit & Run, Breitbart, Media Matters for America, Mother Jones, Splinter, Jezebel, The Week, RedState and RT
Brian Flood / Fox News:
New York Times slams AWOL Pompeo, then learns he was rescuing Americans — As the New York Times was bashing Mike Pompeo for being missing in action while President Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal, it turned out the secretary of state was busy rescuing three Americans who have been held captive in North Korea.
Discussion:
CBS News, New York Times, CNBC, Daily Wire, Washington Post, The Guardian and Fox News Insider, more at Mediagazer »
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Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Can Trump's efforts at foreign policy breakthroughs erase damage of scandals at home?
Can Trump's efforts at foreign policy breakthroughs erase damage of scandals at home?
Discussion:
Associated Press, ABC News, CNNMoney, NewsBusters, CBS Denver and Talking Points Memo
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Lawyer Helped Recruit Corporate Client With Ties to Kushner Probe — U.S. Immigration Fund LLC, which supplied Chinese investors to Kushner Cos., is among clients Michael Cohen delivered to Squire Patton Boggs — President Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen helped a law …
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Michael Kranish / Washington Post:
'I'm crushing it': How Michael Cohen, touting his access to President Trump, convinced companies to pay millions
'I'm crushing it': How Michael Cohen, touting his access to President Trump, convinced companies to pay millions
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, Motherboard, VICE News, Daily Wire, What The Fuck …, Outside the Beltway, Bloomberg, Patterico's Pontifications, USA Today and CNN
Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:
Law Firm That Partnered With Michael Cohen Says Shell Company Work Was A Side Hustle
Law Firm That Partnered With Michael Cohen Says Shell Company Work Was A Side Hustle
Discussion:
Fight for the Future
Judah Ari Gross / The Times of IsraelJudah Ari Gross:
IDF: Iranian forces fire 20 rockets at Israel; Iron Dome intercepts some — No Israeli injuries reported in attack; sirens blare in Golan Heights; Syrian army post comes under fire in Quneitra as tensions skyrocket on Israel-Syria border — Some 20 rockets were fired at Israeli military bases …
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder, RT and The Times of Israel
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Gideon Resnick / The Daily Beast:
McCain Confirms He Gave Trump Dossier to Comey: ‘Duty Demanded I Do’ It … In his new book, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) confirms that he gave a controversial dossier about President Trump to former FBI chief James Comey. — “I agreed to receive a copy of what is now referred to as 'the dossier …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Political Wire, Washington Times and Mediaite
Washington Post:
Nunes sought all documents on person described as longtime intelligence source — A subpoena that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) issued to the Justice Department last week made a broad request for all documents about an individual who people close to the matter …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, CNN, Daily Kos, Politico, The Week and New York Magazine
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CNN:
CNN poll: Democrats' 2018 advantage is nearly gone — CNN Poll: Trump approval holding steady — Washington (CNN)The generic congressional ballot has continued to tighten, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, with the Democrats' edge over Republicans within the poll's margin of sampling error for the first time this cycle.
Discussion:
RedState, National Review, American Greatness, Front Page Magazine, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and Axios
Peter Hamby / Vanity Fair:
“People Get Subpoenas, Shit Gets Real”: What John Edwards Should Teach the Media About Covering Trump — If you were in Las Vegas and could win $1 million by placing a simple prop bet on whether Trump enjoyed some pee play with Russian hookers in Moscow in 2013, would you bet yes or no?
CNNMoney:
Salem executives pressured radio hosts to cover Trump more positively, emails show — Executives at Salem Media Group, a conservative media company that syndicates some of the country's most recognized talk radio hosts and operates a batch of popular commentary websites …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Trump is no longer the worst person in government … Donald Trump, with his feral cunning, knew. The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America's most repulsive public figure. And Pence, who has reached this pinnacle …
Emily Peck / HuffPost:
Town & Country Magazine Uninvited Monica Lewinsky From An Event Because Of Bill Clinton — Lewinsky seemingly referred to the situation in a tweet Wednesday. — Town & Country magazine disinvited Monica Lewinsky from its annual philanthropic summit on Wednesday because Bill Clinton was attending, HuffPost has learned.
Discussion:
New York Post, Vox, The Root, Bustle, Townhall, Mashable, RedState, Jezebel, IJR, Daily Wire, Mediaite and The Daily Caller
Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Special Counsel Mueller's Team Questioned Blackwater Founder Erik Prince … Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has spoken with Blackwater founder Erik Prince, two sources familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast. It was not immediately clear what questions Mueller's team …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos
Phil Owen / The Wrap:
Colbert Goes Off on Trump Over Iran Nuclear Deal: ‘You Literally Just Backed Out of an American Promise’ (Video) — Host was not having Trump's excuses on Tuesday's episode of “The Late Show” — Tuesday was a fairly routine day for the Trump administration, and when I say that I mean …
Discussion:
twitchy.com
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Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump's new Iran strategy succeeds or fails in Syria
Trump's new Iran strategy succeeds or fails in Syria
Discussion:
Brookings, BBC and Common Dreams
Lauren Weber / HuffPost:
Head Of White House Global Health Security Leaves Amid Ebola Outbreak — Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer is among the departures since John Bolton became head of the National Security Council. — Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, the head of global health security on the White House's National Security Council, left the Trump administration on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Splinter
Alex Roarty / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Is Krystal Ball's PAC a fresh approach or a get-rich scheme? — A new Democratic group — one with support from Democratic congressmen and three of the biggest names in the tech industry — is testing the boundary between a new approach to politics and a self-enriching scam.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Eric Geller / Politico:
Bolton pushing to eliminate White House cyber job — The move could send the message ‘that the U.S. is taking the gas pedal off of cybersecurity,’ one former NSC official says. — President Donald Trump's national security team is weighing the elimination of the top White House cybersecurity job …
Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: Steve Bannon was target of bribery plot by top Qatari who invested in Ice Cube's basketball league to get to Trump's strategist and boasted ‘Mike Flynn took our money’, rapper claims in court — Rapper Ice Cube claims that he and his basketball league BIG3 were targeted …