Top Items:


Test of steel prototype for border wall showed it could be sawed through — NBC News obtained a photo showing results of a test on a steel wall prototype. — President Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated for a steel slat design for his border wall, which he described as …


Exclusive: Robert Mueller met with Trump's pollster — Washington (CNN)Special counsel Robert Mueller sought information directly last year from one of Donald Trump's campaign pollsters who is also a former business associate of Paul Manafort's. — Mueller's team met with pollster Tony Fabrizio …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Raw Story, Opinion Today and Observer
RELATED:


Trump Campaign in Legal Jeopardy Over Manafort's Sharing Data with Russian Agent
Discussion:
CNBC, Talking Points Memo and RedState

Trump's team had over 100 contacts with Russian-linked operatives, report shows
Discussion:
Shakesville, KTLA and Washington Post

Trump says he knew nothing about Manafort sharing polling data with Russian associate
Discussion:
Politico


Before Trump, Steve King Set the Agenda for the Wall and Anti-Immigrant Politics — Years before President Trump forced a government shutdown over a border wall, triggering a momentous test of wills in Washington, Representative Steve King of Iowa took to the House floor to show off a model of a 12-foot border wall he had designed.
RELATED:


White Supremacist Rep. Steve King Gets A Primary Challenger — Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra will try to unseat the congressman. — White supremacist Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) will have a Republican primary challenger next year. — Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra announced Wednesday …
Discussion:
Splinter

Governor Reynolds Won't Back Congressman Steve King in 2020 Primary Fight
Discussion:
Roll Call


Trump will “probably” declare national emergency absent a deal in Congress — President Trump indicated Thursday he will likely declare a national emergency if Congress doesn't reach an agreement to fund his border wall — a move that is sure to set off challenges in the courts if he goes ahead with it.
Discussion:
twitchy.com, TheBlaze and CNN
RELATED:


Lawmakers scramble to break impasse as Trump threatens national emergency
Discussion:
Breitbart

Trump calls China “far more honorable” than Pelosi, Schumer
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo and Townhall

Trump's Emergency Powers Threat Could End Shutdown Crisis, but at What Cost?
Discussion:
The Week, Joe.My.God., Common Dreams, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Washington Post

Air traffic controllers, working without pay, ramp up shutdown pressure
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.


For Trump, Storming Out of a Meeting Is a Signature Ploy — He has long used dramatic exits as a negotiating tactic — Trump once walked out on a judge during a divorce proceeding — President Donald Trump's decision to abruptly storm out of a meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday shocked some on Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, BloombergQuint and Raw Story
RELATED:


Trump says he ‘never meant Mexico would write a check’ for the wall — President Donald Trump says Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall through the revenue bump Trump hopes will come from a new trade deal pending in Congress. — “During the campaign, I said Mexico would pay for it …
Discussion:
Roll Call, Washington Post, Washington Press and The Daily Caller


POLITICO Playbook: Trump's one way out — DRIVING THE DAY — SHUTDOWN ... DAY 20 ... TRUMP'S ONLY WAY OUT ... THERE IS AN INCREASING RECOGNITION in the White House and among his most important allies on Capitol Hill that the only way for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP to get movement …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, Washington Press, Political Wire and Fortune

Trump Hits the Wall
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN and ThinkProgress


Kamala Harris Ready To Enter Race For President, Sources Say — She's Finalizing Plans For Bay Area Rally To Announce Candidacy — Sen. Kamala Harris has decided to run for president in 2020 and will announce her candidacy on or around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, probably at a campaign rally in Oakland …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Shakesville, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, The Week and CNN
RELATED:


Married Amazon Boss Jeff Bezos Getting Divorce Over Fling With Movie Mogul's Wife — The ENQUIRER's blockbuster exclusive of world's richest couple's break-up! — The marriage of the world's richest couple is set to explode in all-out war — after billionaire Jeff Bezos was caught cheating …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, The Guardian and Daily Mail, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:


Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos Did NOT Have a Prenup so $137 Billion on the Line in Divorce
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Page Six, TheStreet, CNBC, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, BloombergQuint and New York Times

Trump on Jeff Bezos' divorce: 'It's going to be a beauty'
Discussion:
One America News Network


Pompeo repudiates Obama Mideast policy, takes aim at Iran — CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a scathing rebuke of the Obama administration's Mideast policies on Thursday as he denounced the former president for “misguided” and “wishful” thinking that diminished America's role …
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:



‘American shame is over’: Pompeo vows to quell Obama's Mideast ‘mistakes’
Discussion:
The Daily Beast


Texas landowners prepare wall fight; Trump to visit border — HIDALGO, Texas (AP) — As President Donald Trump travels to the border in Texas to make the case for his $5.7 billion wall, landowner Eloisa Cavazos says she knows firsthand how the project will play out if the White House gets its way.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Hot Air and Boing Boing


Trump: I never said Mexico would ‘write out a check’ for border wall — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he never promised Mexico would literally write a check to pay for a border wall — even though his 2016 presidential campaign said it had a plan to make Mexico fork over the cash.
Discussion:
Breitbart and Hullabaloo
RELATED:

Trump claims ‘obviously’ Mexico isn't going to write a check for a border wall
Discussion:
Politico, The Root and NTK Network


Texas county GOP set to vote this week to remove leader because he is Muslim — The Tarrant County Republicans in Texas will vote this week to remove their vice chairman because he is Muslim. — Republican Dorrie O'Brien is leading a group of colleagues in an attempt to unseat Shahid Shafi …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Dallas Morning News, The Daily Caller, The Texas Tribune and Raw Story


Polls: Voters Oppose Trump On Shutdown By Wide Margins In Key 2020 Senate States — Voters disagree with President Trump's demand for border wall funding by double-digit margins in seven key Senate swing states, according to new polling conducted for a coalition of liberal groups.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Political Wire, Raw Story and Politico


Trump White House urging allies to prepare for possible RBG departure — The White House is reaching out to political allies and conservative activist groups to prepare for an ailing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's possible death or departure from the Supreme Court — an event that would trigger …
Discussion:
CNN


AWFUL! Star CNN Contributor Ana Navarro Files Nails on Live TV as Guest Discusses Murders by Illegal Aliens (VIDEO) — This is CNN- — Star CNN personality Ana Navarro rolled her eyes and filed her nails as a conservative guest Steve Cortes described innocent Americans murdered by illegal aliens.
RELATED:

Cable News Repeats Myth Illegals Commit Less Crime Than Citizens
Discussion:
RedState, Liberty Unyielding and Daily Wire


O'Rourke talks border during Instagram video at dentist — Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) recorded his trip to the dentist on Thursday to showcase his hygienist's experiences growing up near the southern border. — “So I'm here at the dentist and we're going to continue our series …


Joshua Tree National Park To Close For Cleanup, Repairs To Vandalism, Illegal Roads — Illegal roads, cut down Joshua trees, and damaged federal property, along with the need to clean up garbage, prompted Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David Smith to announce Tuesday that the park …


Here's Trump Allies' Plan To Meddle In The 2020 Democratic Primary — The pair of outside groups tied closely to President Donald Trump has retained the top Republican opposition group in an effort to smother Democrats seeking to challenge him — and perhaps even help pick his 2020 challenger.
Discussion:
Raw Story


Exclusive: Pentagon preparing options to build border wall as Trump weighs emergency declaration — WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is preparing options to build barriers on the southern border in the event that President Donald Trump declares a national emergency there, the latest indication …
Discussion:
Politico


The ‘doomsday’ scenario: Here's what happens if the shutdown drags on — Economists warn that a catastrophe is in the making if the partial government closure continues for weeks or months. — The country would face an economic hellscape if the government shutdown lasts “months or even years …


Financial Times' Agenda Pulls Quotes From ‘Les Moonves’ Interview He Denied Ever Happened — “In light of the statement from Mr. Moonves, we have removed the quotes from the article,” says Agenda in their third editor's note on the subject — The Financial Times' corporate news service Agenda …


White House Intervened in Case of Trump's Casino Pal Steve Wynn — The move came just before the administration drafted new guidance that could have paid off for the gambling boss, and months before his resignation. — In the summer of 2017, the Trump White House asked for a meeting …


Rick Scott blindsides DeSantis on his way out — Scores of 11th-hour appointments by outgoing Gov. Rick Scott. Roadblocks for the new transition team. A rival inaugural ball. — The contentious handoff of the Florida governor's office from Scott to fellow Republican Ron DeSantis …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller


How an Experimental Billion-Dollar Privacy Lawsuit Could Clobber Facebook — What if law enforcement was outsourced to class action attorneys? Don't imagine. It's happening as the Cambridge Analytica scandal becomes Mark Zuckerberg's legal nightmare. — Less than one week.