Top Items:
RealClearInvestigations:
For Trump, Cohen Plea Deal's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Exoneration — Contrary to media speculation that Robert Mueller is closing in on President Trump, the special prosecutor's plea deal with Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen offers further evidence that the Trump campaign did not collude …
Discussion:
Power Line
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Peter Zeidenberg / USA Today:
Mueller is building a conspiracy case that's likely to ensnare Trump and his family — Cohen and Manafort developments show Mueller's endgame is likely close at hand. Answers will soon be public and the danger is mounting for Trump. — CONNECT — It appears that the Mueller investigation is reaching its endgame.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA, New York Post and Mother Jones
Garrett M. Graff / Axios:
Mueller's breadcrumbs suggest he has the goods — Everyone's waiting for the “Mueller Report.” But it turns out that special counsel Robert Mueller is writing a “report” in real time, before our eyes, through his cinematic indictments and plea agreements, Garrett M. Graff reports for Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Raw Story
Andrew Kragie / The Atlantic:
House Democrats Shift Their Focus From Collusion to Leverage — The House Democrats preparing to lead their own Russia probes appear to be turning their attention from possible collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian intelligence to potential Russian leverage over the president.
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Daily Caller
Meg Kelly / Washington Post:
The president's misleading statements on Trump Tower Moscow: A timeline
The president's misleading statements on Trump Tower Moscow: A timeline
Discussion:
The Federalist
Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
NeverTrump Clings To Russia Collusion Conspiracy Theory Despite Lack Of Evidence
Julia Davis / The Daily Beast:
Putin's Media Roasts Trump: Russia ‘Should Spit’ on Him and the United States
Putin's Media Roasts Trump: Russia ‘Should Spit’ on Him and the United States
Discussion:
Politico, CANNONFIRE and One America News Network
New York Times:
Intercepts Solidify C.I.A. Assessment That Saudi Prince Ordered Khashoggi Killing — The C.I.A. has evidence that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, communicated repeatedly with a key aide around the time that a team believed to have been under the aide's command assassinated Jamal Khashoggi …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Just Security and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Israeli Software Helped Saudis Spy on Khashoggi, Lawsuit Says
Israeli Software Helped Saudis Spy on Khashoggi, Lawsuit Says
Discussion:
RT, middleeastmonitor.com and CNN, more at Mediagazer »
Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
Sanders eyes ‘bigger’ 2020 bid despite some warning signs — BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — An insurgent underdog no more, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is laying the groundwork to launch a bigger presidential campaign than his first, as advisers predict he would open the 2020 Democratic presidential primary season as a political powerhouse.
Discussion:
Axios, POLITICUSUSA and The Week
Sam Stein / The Daily Beast:
How No Labels Went From Preaching Unity to Practicing the Dark Arts — Internal documents show a group funded by the biggest names in finance. But also beset by dysfunction and division. — As House Republicans were crafting their Obamacare repeal bill in the spring of 2017, Nancy Jacobson …
Discussion:
Eschaton
New York Times:
Can You Like the Person You Love to Hate? — Bari Weiss and Eve Peyser were Twitter enemies. Then they met. — Ms. Weiss is a writer and editor for the Opinion section. Ms. Peyser writes about politics and culture for Vice. — BARI WEISS: Everything sucks.
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
The democratic world could feel the heat from Paris — Fire, flares and tear gas scorched Paris on Saturday night; on Sunday morning, the carcasses of burned cars littered the streets, and graffiti covered the Arc de Triomphe. Smaller, and mostly more peaceful, marches had also played …
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Wall Street Journal:
The Trouble With Tuna: 'A Lot of Millennials Don't Even Own Can Openers' — StarKist, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea deal with slumping market amid competition from fresher options — Canned tuna, a lunchbox staple from the 20th century, is fighting to keep its spot in American cupboards.
Discussion:
Eater
Bloomberg:
A Wall Street Rule for the #MeToo Era: Avoid Women at All Cost — Controverisal strategies risk isolating women in finance — An idea from one man in the business: Try not to be a jerk — No more dinners with female colleagues. Don't sit next to them on flights. Book hotel rooms on different floors.
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Despite Big House Losses, G.O.P. Shows No Signs of Course Correction — WASHINGTON — With a brutal finality, the extent of the Republicans' collapse in the House came into focus last week as more races slipped away from them and their losses neared 40 seats.
Discussion:
Splinter, Daily Kos, The Week, New Republic, POLITICUSUSA, Hullabaloo and Political Wire
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump used a really unfortunate phrase while hailing progress with China — Intentionally or not, President Trump on Monday conjured images of mass death and tragedy in China while hailing diplomatic progress with it. — In a tweet after he and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a truce …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CNBC and The Week
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Running For Office Is Really Hard If You're Not A Millionaire — It's not a coincidence that most people who are elected to public office are incredibly wealthy. — Many of the lawmakers walking the gilded halls of Congress are, financially, far better off than the constituents they represent.
Discussion:
The Guardian
Olivia Bensimon / New York Post:
Why Michelle Obama didn't run for president … Former first lady Michelle Obama said she hasn't run for the Oval Office because her path “has never been politics.” — The confession came during a surprise visit to the Lower Eastside Girls Club in Manhattan on Saturday …
Discussion:
Women in the World
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Opheli Garcia Lawler / The Cut:
Michelle Obama Is Done With the Gospel of ‘Lean In’
Michelle Obama Is Done With the Gospel of ‘Lean In’
Discussion:
Washington Post, Axios, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian and Mediaite
Elana Schor / Politico:
Trump lays off McConnell as criminal justice reform stalls — The last time Donald Trump thought Mitch McConnell was stalling one of his priorities — on Obamacare repeal — the president publicly lashed out at the Senate majority leader, tweeting that he should “get back to work.”
Glenn Harlan Reynolds / USA Today:
I deleted my Twitter account. It's a breeding ground for thoughtlessness and contempt. — Twitter is poison to American political discourse. Can't we find a more worthy pastime? — CONNECT — I deactivated my Twitter account about a week ago. I was partly acting on impulse …
Felix Onuah / Reuters:
Nigeria's Buhari denies dying and being replaced by lookalike — ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Buhari on Sunday denied claims that he had died and been replaced by a Sudanese impostor, breaking his silence on a rumor that has circulated on social media for months.
Discussion:
VICE News
Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
Glenn Beck and Mark Levin Merge to Create Conservative Media Powerhouse (Exclusive) — The duo are joining TheBlaze and CRTV to create Blaze Media, which they say will reach 165 million people via television, digital platforms and social media. — Glenn Beck and Mark Levin are teaming …
Discussion:
TheBlaze, Mediaite and Townhall, more at Mediagazer »
Wall Street Journal:
Iowa Democrats Say They Want Generational Change — A Wall Street Journal survey of Iowa Democratic county leaders also found support for a contender with appeal to ethnically diverse voters — ADEL, Iowa—Democratic leaders in Iowa, the starting line for the party's wide-open 2020 presidential contest …
Discussion:
Axios
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
News Networks Fall Short on Climate Story as Dolphins Die on the Beach — NAPLES, Fla. — Most people from the Northeast move to Florida to get out of the cold. Colleen Gill came to Naples because she heard the call of the wild. — She had vacationed on this slice of coastal paradise for 20 years.
Nick Rufford / The Times & The Sunday Times:
Exclusive interview: Bruce Springsteen on how Donald Trump won over his blue-collar fans — He's a staunch Democrat, yet his working-class audience has embraced the Republican president. Bruce Springsteen tells Nick Rufford how Trump got under their skin — Donald Trump's most dangerous opponent …
Discussion:
Louder With Crowder, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, AOL, TheBlaze, Breitbart and Mediaite
American Prospect:
How America's Bluest State Can Be a Model for the Other 49 — Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom shakes hands with an election night crowd after he defeated Republican John Cox to become 40th governor of California in Los Angeles. — In the 2018 “blue wave” that flipped the House of Representatives, California flipped the most.