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President Trump Directed His Attorney 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 in an investigation of the matter.
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Trump startled by cozy Barr-Mueller relationship — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump was startled Tuesday as he watched television coverage of his nominee for attorney general describing a warm relationship with the special counsel Robert Mueller in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh and Hullabaloo


Did Russian developers give Trump a $1 million payment on the Moscow Trump Tower contract? — Trump's contract required a hefty up-front fee to him from the Moscow developers licensing his brand. — The signed contract for a Trump Tower Moscow real estate licensing deal which CNN's Chris Cuomo obtained …


The circular firing squad: Mueller targets turn on each other — Rudy Giuliani sent an unmistakable message Wednesday night: It's everyone for themselves. — During a CNN interview, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer blurted out that the only person he knows about who didn't collude with Russia was Trump himself.
Discussion:
Washington Press, Washington Post, BuzzFeed News and Raw Story


PICTURE: Trump Returns CODEL Luggage to Pelosi's Office — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's luggage has been returned to the halls of congress by cart, according to a picture sent to the Washington Free Beacon by a snap-happy tipster. — The picture shows the luggage were returned to Pelosi on “military liaison” marked carts.
Discussion:
CNN, RedState, Boing Boing, The Right Scoop, Power Line, Raw Story, BuzzFeed News, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller
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What Trump Just Wrecked by Canceling Pelosi's Trip to Afghanistan — 'We're still gathering information just like you,' one Pentagon official told The Daily Beast. ‘We are trying to figure out what is going on.’ — For more than three weeks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff …
Discussion:
CNN


Letter from President Donald J. Trump to Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
Discussion:
New York Daily News, New York Times, Breitbart, Common Dreams, Daily Wire and IJR

Washington as Unruly Sandbox: Squabbles, Antics and Tantrums
Discussion:
Townhall, Washington Post and IJR

Trump fires back at Pelosi, cancels her foreign travel
Discussion:
CNN, CBS Los Angeles, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, Small Dead Animals, Daily Wire, Joe.My.God. and The Root


McConnell courting Pompeo to run for an open Senate seat in Kansas — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has personally courted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider leaving his post to run for the Senate, according to people familiar with the effort, a move …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Joe.My.God.


So, I Got an Email From Matthew Whitaker's Wife — In her message, Marci Whitaker says the Mueller investigation is “wrapping up” and that the government shutdown is affecting her family's ability to earn a living. — On Monday, Dahlia Lithwick and I wrote an article in Slate arguing …
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite


Democrats will push to retake vote on funding government after chaos on the floor — Democrats will seek a revote on a measure to reopen the government after a Thursday vote devolved into an argument on the House floor. — Chaos broke out after Republicans blasted Democrats for passing …
Discussion:
Splinter
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Congressman who yelled ‘go back to Puerto Rico’ apologizes to Latino colleague — A Republican congressman apologized for shouting “Go back to Puerto Rico” on the House floor on Thursday, said Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), who Democrats had believed was the target of the verbal attack.

GOP Rep. Jason Smith apologizes for telling Democrats to ‘go back to Puerto Rico’
Discussion:
Roll Call


Jack Dorsey Has No Clue What He Wants — A Q&A with Twitter's CEO on right-wing extremism, Candace Owens, and what he'd do if the president called on his followers to murder journalists. — A conversation with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey can be incredibly disorienting.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Gizmodo and The Root, more at Techmeme »


Clue in Mueller filing suggests Manafort kept working on topic of interest to Russia after indictment — In a tiny font at the top of the 82nd page of a lengthy document filed in court this week by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is a key clue to his ongoing interest in Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Boing Boing
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Rudy Giuliani's disastrous CNN interview created more problems for Trump
Discussion:
Washington Press, Politico, Washington Post and Raw Story


Trump admin weighed targeting migrant families, speeding up deportation of children — A draft plan obtained by NBC News also shows officials wanted to specifically target parents in migrant families for increased prosecutions. — WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials weighed speeding …
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Trump administration separated thousands more migrants than previously known, federal watchdog says
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, NBC News, ACLU, Vox, The Atlantic, Common Dreams, Law & Crime, Hit & Run, The Daily Beast, ABC News, Daily Kos, National Review, Axios, The New Civil Rights Movement and Mediaite


Vice President Says Outrage Over Wife Karen Pence's Discriminatory School Is ‘Offensive’ — Mike Pence's wife took a job teaching art at a school that bans LGBTQ families and individuals, HuffPost first reported Tuesday. — Vice President Mike Pence defended second lady Karen Pence's decision …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Post and NB Blog
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Karen Pence, Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, Part of a Christian Ministry?
Discussion:
Washington Post, NB Blog, Mashable, The American Conservative, Splinter, Washington Times, Townhall, CNN, TheBlaze and DCist


'Feel like I'm going to strangle you': Shutdown breaks Congress' spirit — A dismal mood has descended on Capitol Hill as the shutdown concludes its 27th day. — The House speaker and the president are at war. A bipartisan Senate push to reopen the government failed for a second consecutive week.


Trump Is Unifying Democrats Instead of Consolidating His Base — The other day, I asked a House Democratic member who has been in D.C. for a few years, if he thought that Democrats would find themselves battling their own ‘Tea Party’ insurgency. Would the forces led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez soon …
Discussion:
The Atlantic and No More Mister Nice Blog

Congressman Tom Marino Announces Resignation — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Tom Marino (PA-12) released the following statement announcing his resignation from the United States House of Representatives. — Rep. Marino said the following: — “As of January 23, 2019, I am officially stepping down from Congress.
Discussion:
Morning Call, Associated Press, Shareblue Media, The Week, Joe.My.God., Politico, CNN, The Guardian, Axios and The Daily Caller
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GOP Rep. Tom Marino resigns from Congress
Discussion:
The New Civil Rights Movement


Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues — Among Republicans, Gen Z stands out in views on race, climate and the role of government — No longer the new kids on the block, Millennials have moved firmly into their 20s and 30s, and a new generation is coming into focus.
Discussion:
CBS Philly, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, Pew Research Center, Washington Post, Opinion Today, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, The Hill and Raw Story


Dan Abrams: This Has Been ‘The Worst 48 Hours For Trump So Far’ in the Russia Probe — “I'm going to make a big statement here,” said Mediaite founder Dan Abrams on SiriusXM Thursday. — And indeed, he did. — At the outset of his daily show on SiriusXM's POTUS channel …


Beto's excellent adventure drips with white male privilege — (CNN)Imagine this: A 46-year-old former congresswoman and mother of three, who just lost a Senate bid to one of the most despised incumbents, sets off on a road trip adventure to clear her head. — She instagrams part of her trip to the dentist.
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Sara A. Carter and Raw Story


Model who claimed U.S.-Russian collusion tape held in Moscow on prostitution charges — MOSCOW — A model from Belarus who claimed to have recordings shedding light on the Trump campaign's ties to Russia was detained at a Moscow airport Thursday on prostitution allegations, the police said.


Behold the Democrat Politician Protection Act — Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, is majority leader of the U.S. Senate. — For the past two years, our united Republican government drained money and power from Washington and returned it to states, communities and families.
Discussion:
electionlawblog.org


Drug smugglers bring 700 lbs of cocaine into US, then flee into Mexico across border with no physical barrier — BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — Border Patrol agents said they confiscated more than 700 lbs. of cocaine on Thursday just miles from the Rio Grande river.
Discussion:
Daily Wire


What I meant when I said there was no collusion — “I never said there was no collusion between the campaign! Or between the people in the campaign. ... I said the president of the United States — there is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed …
Discussion:
emptywheel, National Review, Fox News Insider and Mother Jones


Activist who met with congressmen about ‘DNA’ posted about black ‘violence gene’ — Alt-right activist Chuck Johnson has shown a steady interest in genetics and links he draws between DNA, race, intellect and criminality. — An alt-right activist who met with two Republican congressmen to discuss …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Raw Story, CNN, Boing Boing, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Beast


Treasury's Mnuchin declines to testify before House panel on shutdown — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday declined a request by the Democratic chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives tax committee to testify next week about the partial government shutdown's impact …
Discussion:
Informed Comment


FBI, federal agents see cases hampered, lives rattled as shutdown continues — At federal law enforcement agencies from the FBI to the DEA to Customs and Border Protection and others, the frustration about having missed a paycheck last week because of the partial government shutdown is growing …

The 1970s Roots of Trumpism — On today's Bulwark Podcast Princeton history professors and co-authors Julian Zelizer and Kevin Kruse join host Charlie Sykes to discuss their new book _Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. _ — Special Guests: Julian E. Zelizer and Kevin M. Kruse.