memeorandum: The really scandalous part of Michael Cohen's poll-fixing efforts (David Byler/Washington Post)

5:50 PM ET, January 18, 2019

Top Items:

President Trump Directed His Attorney Michael Cohen To Lie To Congress About The Moscow Tower Project — President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved …

Discussion: Above the Law, Bloomberg, CNN, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress, New York Times, RedState, NPR, Washington Post, The Bulwark, Conservative Review, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, The Intercept, Mediaite, ABC News, emptywheel, Patterico's Pontifications, RT, Spectator USA, Vox, East Bay Times, The Last Refuge, Roll Call, Axios, Washington Press, Shareblue Media, Media Matters for America, TVNewser, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, Raw Story, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, Lawfare, Reuters, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Week, Breitbart, Law & Crime, AOL, POLITICUSUSA, Al Jazeera, Portland Mercury, Hot Air, Contemptor, Conservative News Today, InsideSources, Joe.My.God., Deadline, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Wire, News Agency UNIAN, What The Fuck …, The Atlantic, National Journal, IJR, Wall Street Journal, Splinter, VICE News, Townhall, The Right Scoop, The Daily Caller, Fox News Insider, TheBlaze, Politico, CNBC, Media Matters for America, Washington Free Beacon, PoliticalCharge, Outside the Beltway, myfox8.com, Shakesville, illegal immigration …, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, Common Dreams, Hullabaloo, Washington Times, Faithwire, Hmm Daily, FOX31 Denver, The Real Deal New York, National Review, Florida Politics, Just Security, Towleroad Gay News, USA Today, Boing Boing, The New Civil Rights Movement, Mother Jones, Taylor Marsh, Dan Froomkin's White …, Balloon Juice and KAJ-TV

Geoff Earle / Daily Mail:

What happened to Michael Cohen? Mystery ex-Trump fixer arrives at home with apparent black eye and arm in sling hours after bombshell report that president ordered him to LIE to Congress — Longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arrived at his Manhattan apartment with was treated at a New York hospital with his left arm covered

Discussion: Washington Press and The Gateway Pundit

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Reporter with checkered past comes back with Trump Tower Moscow bombshells for BuzzFeed — New York (CNN Business)Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier, two reporters for BuzzFeed News, may have just scored the scoop that, if it is ultimately confirmed, irrevocably changes the course of the Trump presidency.

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Washington Press, Raw Story, Law & Crime, The Stern Facts, Roll Call, The Daily Caller and ThinkProgress

emptywheel:

Compromise: Before Trump Won His First Primary, Putin Collected His First Receipt — In this post, I noted that, while important, the Buzzfeed story on Trump's role in Michael Cohen's lies to Congress did not advance our understanding of how the Trump Tower deal fits into the larger Trump conspiracy with Russia.

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Washington Post and Raw Story

Ryan Goodman / Just Security:

Why Trump's Directing Cohen, Others to Lie Would Be Far Worse Than Watergate — If the President of the United States directed his personal attorney and fixer to help sabotage the Russia investigation by lying to Congress, there is no turning back for the nation.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week, Raw Story, CNN, Washington Monthly, East Bay Times and The Daily Caller

Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:

Why Democrats Have Suddenly Started Talking About Impeachment — Late Thursday night, BuzzFeed News published a report that, if true, could prove historic: President Donald Trump allegedly directed his then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress about a real-estate deal he was pursuing in Moscow during the 2016 election.

Discussion: Washington Post, POLITICUSUSA, BuzzFeed News, Axios, The Week, CNN, Washington Press, Raw Story, Media Matters for America, Vox, Shareblue Media, Contemptor and IJR

CNN:

What court filings tell us about BuzzFeed's Trump-Cohen allegations — Buzzfeed: Sources say Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress — Washington (CNN)There are a handful of distinct areas where reporting from BuzzFeed's bombshell lines up with court records, including the charging documents …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Political Wire and Townhall

Garrett M. Graff / Wired:

If Trump Told Cohen to Lie, Impeachment Is Coming — AS THE GOVERNMENT shutdown neared the one-month mark, the political landscape shifted under Washington's feet Thursday night, dramatically and perhaps permanently altering the path of our nation's politics.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg and Washington Post

Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Buzzfeed News Bombshell Reporter: No We Have Not Seen the Evidence Supporting Our Report

Discussion: Townhall, Liberty Unyielding, Chicks On The Right, RedState, CNN, Conservative News Today, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, twitchy.com and Washington Free Beacon

Joe Cunningham / RedState:
One of the BuzzFeed Reporters Behind the Trump Report Has a History of Making Things Up

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart, Chicks On The Right and Mediaite

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Congress Can't Wait for Mueller. It's Time to Start the Impeachment Process.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post and Vox

NBC News:
Impeachment seems much more likely after Thursday's bombshell report

Discussion: CNN, RedState and Daily Kos

Steve Benen / MSNBC:

Trump White House reportedly sought to put Pelosi ‘in her place’ — One of the most striking aspects of Donald Trump's petty decision to cancel House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Afghanistan is the degree to which it was lacking in any sense of proportionality.

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, The Daily Beast and Talking Points Memo

Burgess Everett / Politico:

White House pushes long odds strategy for wall — The White House has a new, long-shot idea for getting President Donald Trump's border wall: persuading the Senate to take up the president's wall request to force a deal with the Democrats, then reopen the government.

Discussion: Political Wire

Lesley Clark / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

McConnell's unwavering stand on the wall boosts his 2020 election prospects — An electronic billboard, sponsored by the Democratic Coalition, shown Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 in Nicholasville, Ky. McConnell, who is up for re-election in 2020 in a state where Trump tends to be more popular than he is …

Axios:
Exclusive: Former aide describes in new book how Trump demanded names of leakers

Discussion: US Macmillan, Joe.My.God., Associated Press, The Week, Mediaite, Observer and CNN

McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Waiting for a Shutdown to End in Disaster

Discussion: Althouse

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:

Mnuchin Flew to L.A. on Private Jet of Billionaire Michael Milken — WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew from Washington to Los Angeles this month on the private aircraft of Michael R. Milken, the billionaire “junk bond” king who pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 1990 and served two years in prison.

Discussion: Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:

Trump Team Split on Border-Wall Strategy — Some advisers want a deal; others see border wall as critical to 2020 re-election bid — President Trump is being pulled in opposite directions over his way out of the partial government shutdown as White House aides push to make a deal …

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
Pelosi abandons Afghanistan trip, accuses Trump of imperiling lawmakers with disclosure

Discussion: Hot Air, KAJ-TV, Washington Press, Conservative News Today, TheBlaze, Townhall, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:
Pelosi Delays Trip as Trump Administration Leaks Travel Plans

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Beast, Sputnik International and The Gateway Pundit

Debbie Wasserman Schultz / USA Today:

Why I refuse to walk with the Washington Women's March — It should not be this difficult to condemn hate speech. Until national leaders get it right, local marches will carry the mission forward. — CONNECT — I walked away from the Women's March on Washington two years ago absolutely electrified …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Fox News Insider, Washington Times, TheBlaze, New York Times, The Root, Associated Press, Townhall, Florida Politics, The Stranger, Fortune and NPR

Andy Kroll / Rolling Stone:

Republican Congressman: Trump's Border Crisis Is a ‘Myth’ — A conversation with Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who knows the border better than most of his colleagues — WASHINGTON — Congressman Will Hurd of Texas is an increasingly lonely voice in the “build the wall” Republican Party of Donald Trump.

Discussion: The Hill, Hit & Run, Axios, IJR, Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite

Robin Opsahl / Des Moines Register:

Rep. Steve King raising money off controversy from white nationalism, supremacy comments — The House has approved a Democratic measure disapproving of Republican Rep. Steve King's comments about white supremacy. The nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure, which was approved, 416-1.

Discussion: Washington Post, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, Roll Call, WHOTV, POLITICUSUSA, Talking Points Memo and The Hill

Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:
Religious Right Leaders Defend Steve King's Honor, Demand Apology from House GOP Leader McCarthy

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and American Greatness

Thomas Kaplan / New York Times:

Federal Courts, Running Out of Money, Brace for Shutdown's Pain — WASHINGTON — The federal courts are running out of money as the partial government shutdown continues with no end in sight, raising concerns that the legal system will be significantly hobbled if the standoff is not resolved soon.

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and CNN

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: What the shutdown tea leaves tell us

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Baltimore Sun:

Kamala Harris picks Baltimore as site for headquarters for potential presidential campaign — In this photo taken on Sept. 28, 2018, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks with survivors of sexual assault in Washington.

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

R. Kelly Dropped by RCA Records After Documentary Furor — RCA Records has dropped R. Kelly, the R&B star accused of decades of misconduct, after weeks of protests and a television documentary series that drew national attention, according to a person briefed on the move who declined …

Discussion: NPR

Variety:
R. Kelly Dropped by Sony Music

Discussion: Billboard, Vox, The Guardian, news.avclub.com, CBS Chicago, theGrio, The Week and Music Business Worldwide

David Byler / Washington Post:

The really scandalous part of Michael Cohen's poll-fixing efforts — On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal attorney, tried to rig online “polls” in favor of Trump. The story isn't the latest nefarious revelation to emerge from Cohen's downfall.

Discussion: WORLD, The Week and Raw Story

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

AJC poll shows a deeply divided Georgia and tough numbers for Kemp — Editor's note: For a detailed explanation about how this poll was conducted, see the end of this story. — After an intensely partisan race for Georgia governor, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday shows …

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

“Are We Really Where We Are?”: Trump, Putin, and Washington's Unbelievable New Normal — Regardless of whether Trump ends up making a speech on Capitol Hill on January 29th, the state of the union is not strong, and everyone knows it. — Sunday will mark the second anniversary of Donald Trump's Presidency.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Spectator USA

Al Weaver / Washington Examiner:

Bush calls on Trump, Democrats to ‘put politics aside’ and end the shutdown — Former President George W. Bush on Friday called on President Trump and congressional leaders to “put politics aside” and end the partial government shutdown, which is about to enter its fifth week.

Brett McGurk / Washington Post:

Trump said he beat ISIS. Instead, he's giving it new life. — The president decided to withdraw U.S. forces without consulting allies or understanding the facts on the ground. — On Dec. 17, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked for an important call with me and a few …

Discussion: KAJ-TV, WGNO and Task & Purpose

Ben Adler / NPR:

Defying Trump Administration, Calif. Offers Federal Workers Unemployment Benefits — California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the Trump administration has told states they can't offer unemployment benefits to federal employees who are required to report to work without pay during the government shutdown.

Discussion: IJR, The Democrats and Politico

Bloomberg:

Even College Graduates Can't Afford a Home on the West Coast — College graduates priced out of some of the biggest job hubs — But, grads can find affordable housing in many thriving cities — College graduates earn a lot of money in San Jose but are still $100,000 short to afford …

Reuters:

$11 toothpaste: Immigrants pay big for basics at private ICE lock-ups — NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Detained in a California lockup with hundreds of other immigrants seeking asylum, Duglas Cruz faced a choice. — He could content himself with a jailhouse diet that he said left him perpetually hungry.

Discussion: The Week

Nicole Weisensee Egan / The Daily Beast:

Is a Serial-Killer Gang Murdering Young Men Across the U.S.? — Dozens of college-age men dead from ‘accidental’ drownings—but a team of retired detectives say the boys were drugged and killed by a shadowy gang with a sinister symbol. — On the evening of Dec. 15, 2016, Dakota James called his friend Shelley in a panic.

Washington Post:

Trump and Pence give surprise addresses at anti-abortion March for Life — President Trump and Vice President Pence surprised thousands of protesters demonstrating against abortion on the National Mall by making unannounced speeches at Friday's March for Life.

Discussion: National Review, LifeNews.com, TheBlaze, NB Blog, IJR and Daily Wire

Pew Research Center:

Trump Begins Third Year With Low Job Approval and Doubts About His Honesty — Views of economy remain positive, divided by partisanship — At the second anniversary of his inauguration, public views of Donald Trump's job performance, as well as his honesty and administration's ethics, are decidedly negative.

Discussion: CNN and KTLA

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Supreme Court puts off Commerce Department census case for now — The Supreme Court on Friday said it was delaying arguments over whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and others can be compelled to explain their actions in a case challenging the Trump administration's addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

Discussion: One America News Network