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The Trump Organization Planned To Give Vladimir Putin The $50 Million Penthouse In Trump Tower Moscow — President Donald Trump's company planned to give a $50 million penthouse at Trump Tower Moscow to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the company negotiated the luxury real estate development during …
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Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Axios, Raw Story, The Real Deal New York, Washington Press, The Intellectualist, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Splinter, Talking Points Memo, CBS Boston, Vox and Boing Boing
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Trump's Recall of Moscow Deal Matches Cohen's, President's Lawyers Say — President Trump's recollection of discussions about building a Trump Tower in Moscow aligned with those of his longtime fixer Michael D. Cohen, the president's lawyers said on Thursday after Mr. Cohen admitted in court …
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Wired, New Republic, The Rush Limbaugh Show, RedState, CNBC, Axios, Vox, Mother Jones, Law & Crime, Splinter and Mediaite


Mueller eyes Ivanka and Don Jr.'s work on Trump Tower Moscow — WASHINGTON - Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow has led him to ask questions about the role two of the president's children played in attempting …
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New York Times, Just Security, BuzzFeed News, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and The Daily Beast


Trump's Unacceptable Campaign Conduct and Two Other Takeaways from the Cohen Plea — Today, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen surprised America by pleading guilty to lying to Congress. You can read the complete criminal information here, but the summary is simple.
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Vox and Washington Post


How a Trump Lawyer, a Felon and a Russian General Chased a Moscow Tower Deal — How a Trump Lawyer, a Felon and a Russian General Chased a Moscow Deal — The role Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, played in pursing a Moscow Trump Tower re-emerged when he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress.
Discussion:
Axios


‘Individual 1’: Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe — In two major developments this week, President Trump has been labeled in the parlance of criminal investigations as a major subject of interest, complete with an opaque legal code name: “Individual 1.”
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ABC News, The Intellectualist, Daily Wire, Politico, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Breitbart and Talking Points Memo


The Legal Perils That Michael Cohen's Guilty Plea Poses for Donald Trump — The question at the heart of the Russia investigation has always been one of motive. Why has Donald Trump, both as a candidate and as the President, been so solicitous of Russia and of its leader, Vladimir Putin?
Discussion:
Washington Post and ABC News


Senate committees scouring testimony for misleading statements in Russia probe — “This is a reason people shouldn't lie when they're in front of a congressional investigation,” said GOP senator Richard Burr. — WASHINGTON — Senate committees investigating Russia's interference …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire


Manafort lawyers fed confidential Mueller probe info to Trump's legal team, Giuliani says, raising criminal concerns — Paul Manafort's lawyers shared confidential information about Robert Mueller's investigation with President Trump's legal team, Rudy Giuliani said Thursday — a move experts say could be criminal.


Michael Cohen expected to plead guilty to lying to Congress in collusion probe; gave 70 hours of interviews to special counsel: Sources — Special counsel Robert Mueller has reached a tentative deal with Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney and long-time fixer for President Donald Trump, sources told ABC News.
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Washington Post, Lawfare, Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Shareblue Media, Breitbart, Hot Air, FRONTLINE, Common Dreams, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Reuters, Daily Wire, Axios, IJR, Conservative News Today, One America News Network, Mediaite, POLITICUSUSA, Spectator USA, Political Wire, Townhall, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, emptywheel, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Free Beacon, CNN, Vox, HuffPost, Washington Times and New York Times


Michael Cohen to Plead Guilty to Charge in Mueller Investigation — Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, who pleaded guilty in August to breaking campaign finance laws, made a surprise appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday morning to plead guilty to a new criminal charge …
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Associated Press, NBC News, CNBC, Detroit News, Salon, Townhall, TheBlaze, Hit & Run, The Guardian, Law & Crime, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, News, East Bay Express, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, POLITICUSUSA, Outside the Beltway, FiveThirtyEight, twitchy.com, Axios, Mediaite, Splinter, Political Wire, CNN, Instapundit and The Daily Caller


Trump Canceling Planned Meeting With Russia's Putin Over Ukraine Situation — U.S. president says he wants ‘meaningful summit’ with Putin ‘as soon as this situation is resolved!’ — President Trump on Thursday canceled a planned meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin set for this weekend …
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The Daily Signal, Hot Air, Slate, New York Times, LifeZette, Vox, BBC, Bloomberg, Mediaite, Hullabaloo, CNBC, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, Liberty Unyielding and KyivPost


Mueller stalks Trump abroad — again
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Politico, Wall Street Journal, Raw Story and CNBC

How to Read Michael Cohen's Latest Plea and Its Revelations About the Trump Organization
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New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and Politico

Three Remarkable Things About Michael Cohen's Plea
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Shareblue Media, Law & Crime and Hot Air

“Trump Was Totally Caught Off Guard by the Cohen Plea”: Inside Trumpworld, Some Fear Mueller Has Laid a Perjury Trap
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Raw Story, Mediaite and ThinkProgress

Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Moscow project

Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Effort to Build Moscow Tower
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, Conservative News Today, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Michael Cohen's admission could put Don Jr., Trump Org staff in the crosshairs
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Political Wire and Breitbart

Dershowitz says Cohen's plea signals Mueller is examining political issues
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The Root

The strange tales of Michael Cohen, Randy Credico and Roger Stone
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New York Post, Washington Post, National Review, CNBC and Popular Information

Trump Tower Moscow? It Was the End of a Long, Failed Push to Invest in Russia
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Boing Boing

‘We will be in Moscow’: The story of Trump's 30-year quest to expand his brand to Russia
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VICE News, Law & Crime and Vox

Michael Cohen Takes Mueller Inside the Trump Organization
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New York Times, CNN and HuffPost

Matthew Whitaker's Advance Knowledge of Cohen Plea Could Spell Trouble for Mueller
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News and Mediaite


Scott to oppose Farr nomination to federal bench in NC, ending chances of confirmation — Sen. Tim Scott said Thursday he will oppose the nomination of Thomas Farr to the federal bench, assuring the controversial pick will not be confirmed. — The South Carolina Republican was the deciding vote …


EXCLUSIVE: CNN Fires Marc Lamont Hill Following Israel Comments — CNN severed ties with contributor Marc Lamont Hill on Thursday, following comments the university professor made in a speech at the United Nations. — “Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN,” a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite.
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CNN fires Marc Lamont Hill in wake of remarks criticizing Israel and calling for a ‘free Palestine’
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Politico, Fox News, twitchy.com and Deadline


GOP unloads on Flake — Jeff Flake is finally taking a stand on the need to protect Robert Mueller — and it's infuriating his fellow Republicans. — The retiring Arizona senator is undermining the Senate GOP's efforts to approve as many lifetime-appointed federal judges as possible in the lame duck.
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Raw Story
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Senate committee cancels votes on judicial nominees after Jeff Flake's Mueller ultimatum
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Shareblue Media, Politico and Washington Post

Jeff Flake caves again — withdrawing his ‘no’ vote on controversial judge so Pence could break the tie
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Japan Times


Mueller's Steady Stream of Russia Revelations Is Driving Trump Crazy — Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, Trump's panic over Mueller, Mike Espy's loss in Mississippi …
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McClatchy Washington Bureau, BostonGlobe.com and Washington Post
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Feds raid Ald. Burke's City Hall, ward offices — Federal agents showed up unannounced at the City Hall office of Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke, kicked everyone out and papered over the windows Thursday morning. — The nature of their visit was not known, but Ald.
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Chicago Tribune, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Hill, Vox, The Guardian, LifeZette, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit, WGN-TV and The Intellectualist


Europe's Jew Hatred, and Ours — A new CNN poll reveals that one in four Europeans are anti-Semitic. — Ms. Weiss is an editor and writer in the Times Opinion section. — Paris. Toulouse. Malmo. Copenhagen. Brussels. Berlin. — For most people, they are lovely cities where you might happily take a holiday.


Ryan casts doubt on ‘bizarre’ California election results — Weeks after House Republicans lost their majority, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday cast serious doubts about the “bizarre” election system in California, where it appears that seven GOP-held seats will flip to Democratic control.
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Magazine and HuffPost


Joe Crowley's Parting Shot: Ousted by Ocasio-Cortez, He Undermined Barbara Lee in House Leadership Race — The election of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as House Democratic Caucus chair on Wednesday represented a symbolic and substantive comeback for the wing of the party that had suffered a stunning defeat …
Discussion:
Splinter and Washington Free Beacon


Certification in limbo in N.C. House race as fraud investigation continues — Mounting evidence of voter fraud in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District could indefinitely delay the certification of a winner, as state election officials investigate whether hundreds of absentee ballots were illegally cast or destroyed.


Mic has laid off the majority of its staff — The publisher is trying to sell the remainder of the company to Bustle Digital Group. — Mic is laying off the majority off its staff while the digital publisher works on a deal to sell the remainder of its assets to Bustle Digital Group.
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Townhall, Splinter and Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »


Orthodox Jewish boy attacked on Brooklyn street … A 9-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy was randomly attacked by a stranger in Brooklyn in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime — the first of two similar incidents that occurred within an hour of each other, authorities said Thursday.
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Two Celebrities Charged With Unlawfully Touting Coin Offerings — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music producer Khaled Khaled, known as DJ Khaled, for failing to disclose payments they received …
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The Daily Beast, Mashable, The Guardian, The Verge, Gizmodo, CBS Los Angeles and One America News Network, more at Techmeme »