Top Items:
Associated Press:
AP-NORC poll: Shutdown drags Trump approval to yearlong low — WASHINGTON (AP) — A strong majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for the government shutdown and reject his primary rationale for a border wall. That's according to a new poll that shows the turmoil in Washington …
Discussion:
The Hill and Political Wire
RELATED:
CBS News:
Pelosi has edge over Trump on budget negotiations, CBS News poll shows — Seven in 10 Americans don't think the issue of a border wall is worth a government shutdown, which they say is now having a negative impact on the country. But partisans don't want their own side to budge …
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Poll: Shutdown, Russia drive Trump to all-time high disapproval — President Donald Trump's disapproval rating is at an all-time high amid a historically long partial government shutdown and concerns about the president's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.
Discussion:
Vox, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, The Nation, Mediaite, POLITICUSUSA, The Week, Axios, Political Wire and Public Policy Polling, more at Mediagazer »
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The GOP is in a very familiar shutdown position: Losing it badly
The GOP is in a very familiar shutdown position: Losing it badly
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Medicare For All Looks Good In New Poll, But There's A Big Asterisk
Medicare For All Looks Good In New Poll, But There's A Big Asterisk
Discussion:
The Henry J. Kaiser …, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze
Aaron Rupar / Vox:
New polls indicate Trump's shutdown position is unpopular and dragging his approval rating to new lows
New polls indicate Trump's shutdown position is unpopular and dragging his approval rating to new lows
Discussion:
Morning Consult, Washington Post, The Mahablog, Shareblue Media, Hullabaloo and POLITICUSUSA
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Trump's position is weakening fast. Here's how Democrats can exploit that.
Trump's position is weakening fast. Here's how Democrats can exploit that.
Discussion:
Vox, Daily Kos and New York Times
Washington Post:
Pelosi tells Trump: No State of the Union address in the House until government is opened — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not allow President Trump to deliver the State of the Union in the House chamber next week, writing to him on Wednesday afternoon that he can give …
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New York Times:
Trump Says He Will Explore Alternatives After Pelosi Says No State of the Union Until Shutdown Ends — WASHINGTON — President Trump said he would look for alternative venues for his State of the Union address on Tuesday, appearing to capitulate after Speaker Nancy Pelosi again told …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story
Pelosi / Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Pelosi Sends Letter to President Trump on the State of the Union Address
Pelosi Sends Letter to President Trump on the State of the Union Address
Discussion:
National Review, ABC News, IJR and CNN
The White House:
A Letter from the President to Speaker Pelosi
A Letter from the President to Speaker Pelosi
Discussion:
IJR, Common Dreams, RedState, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, TheBlaze and Splinter
Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Pelosi responds: No State of the Union for Trump unless the shutdown ends
Franco Ordoñez / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Immigration advocates to meet with Pence on deal to protect Dreamers, end shutdown
Immigration advocates to meet with Pence on deal to protect Dreamers, end shutdown
Discussion:
CNN
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
House Democrats probe how Jared Kushner got security clearance — The probe was launched “in response to grave breaches of national security at the highest levels of the Trump administration,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings. — The House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation …
RELATED:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
A “go big” idea to end the shutdown — A new immigration idea has been circulating over the past 24 hours at senior levels inside the White House and on Capitol Hill: Give a path to green cards to the 700,000 current DACA recipients, three sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, illegal immigration …, NBC News, One America News Network, The Week, Breitbart, Daily Wire, National Review and Raw Story
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, blames Trump “threats”
Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, blames Trump “threats”
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News and One America News Network
Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Cohen Postpones House Testimony Over Trump's ‘Threats Against His Family’
Cohen Postpones House Testimony Over Trump's ‘Threats Against His Family’
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Washington Post:
White House seeks list of programs that would be hurt if shutdown lasts into March — White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the highest-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Washington Post:
Venezuelan opposition leader declares himself president; U.S. promptly recognizes him as interim president — CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday faced the gravest challenge to his authority since assuming power in 2013, as the U.S.-backed opposition claimed …
Discussion:
Vox, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and Florida Politics
RELATED:
Ana Vanessa Herrero / New York Times:
Outraged Maduro Cuts Ties with U.S. After Opposition Leader Declares Himself Venezuela's President — CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with the United States on Wednesday and gave American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country …
Discussion:
Home Page Rotator, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run and TheBlaze
CNBC:
Maduro says Venezuela is breaking relations with US, gives American diplomats 72 hours to leave country
Maduro says Venezuela is breaking relations with US, gives American diplomats 72 hours to leave country
Discussion:
NPR and The Daily Caller
Francisco Toro / Caracas Chronicles:
Juan Guaidó Claims the Presidency: How Will This Play Out?
Alexander Burns / New York Times:
Biden's Paid Speech Buoyed the G.O.P. in Midwest Battleground — A speech by Joe Biden in October helped Fred Upton, a vulnerable Republican, win re-election in Michigan. — Mr. Biden, who earned $200,000 for the speech, stunned Democrats and elated Republicans by praising Mr. Upton …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Splinter, Raw Story, The Week and Detroit Metro Times
Cristina Marcos / The Hill:
Top Dem: We would support $5.7B for a ‘smart wall’ — House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) on Wednesday said Democrats would be willing to provide $5.7 billion in border security funding to end the shutdown if the money is used for measures like a “smart wall.”
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Splinter, Washington Post and The Last Refuge
RELATED:
Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
Power Up: ‘It just looks bad.’ Some Democrats pressuring leadership to end shutdown stalemate.
Power Up: ‘It just looks bad.’ Some Democrats pressuring leadership to end shutdown stalemate.
Discussion:
ABC News, Vox, Sara A. Carter and Politico
Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post:
Nothing justifies what the Covington students did — There were a few lessons I only needed to learn once when I lived in New York City from 1990 to 2007. Never have the bagel-cart guy put sugar in your coffee (it'll be too sweet). Never hail-a-cab-while-black on an Uptown avenue (they usually don't stop).
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The New Neo and Washington Free Beacon
RELATED:
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
The Trump-Era Overcorrection
The Trump-Era Overcorrection
Discussion:
The Federalist, Patreon, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, The Guardian and Daily Kos
Doha Madani / NBC News:
Five people shot dead at SunTrust Bank in Florida, suspect in custody — The Highlands County sheriff's office said a SWAT team stormed the bank after negotiations failed and the suspect “eventually surrendered.” — A suspected gunman was in custody Wednesday after five people were shot dead …
RELATED:
Jeff Weiner / Sun-Sentinel:
‘Several down’ after shooting, hostage situation at SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida, reports say
‘Several down’ after shooting, hostage situation at SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida, reports say
Discussion:
Breitbart, Raw Story and The Daily Caller
Tim Murphy / Mother Jones:
Here's Video of Beto O'Rourke Singing “Blitzkrieg Bop” in a Sheep Mask and Onesie — By now, most people who follow national politics have probably heard that Beto O'Rourke, the former Democratic congressman from El Paso who is contemplating a run for president, once played bass in a punk rock band called Foss.
Discussion:
The Week, The Daily Caller, Splinter, Political Wire and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Olivia Messer / The Daily Beast:
Covington Catholic Teen on ‘Fox & Friends’: Blackface Is ‘School Spirit’ — 'We haven't been able to wear black paint because of the video, but I know the kids meant nothing by it,' one senior explained to Steve Doocy. — Covington Catholic High School's increasing notoriety has only pushed it further into the mud.
Discussion:
Vox, HuffPost, The Daily Banter and The Root
RELATED:
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Gawker 2.0 Implodes as Its Only Reporters Quit — The new site's only two full-time writers exited Wednesday in protest of editorial director Carson Griffith's offensive remarks about everything from race to penis size. — Gawker 2. is blowing up on the launchpad just two weeks after the site's …
Discussion:
Breitbart and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Sheila Jackson Lee Leaves 2 Posts After Aide Says She Was Fired for Reporting Sexual Assault — WASHINGTON — Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, facing blowback from a lawsuit claiming she fired an aide who said she was sexually assaulted by a supervisor at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation …
Discussion:
Politico, BuzzFeed News, Breitbart, Axios, Washington Times, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Washington Free Beacon
Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone:
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey: The Rolling Stone Interview — Sometimes 280 characters just aren't enough. The social media mogul takes on his critics — and tries to explain who he really is — When Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter in 2006, he had no idea he and his colleagues were creating …
Katherine Clarke / Wall Street Journal:
Billionaire Ken Griffin Buys America's Most Expensive Home for $238 Million — The record-breaking purchase of a New York City penthouse is the latest in a string of multimillion-dollar real-estate deals by the hedge-fund manager — Billionaire Ken Griffin, who is becoming almost as known …
Discussion:
Curbed NY and Mother Jones
Hamza Shaban / Washington Post:
Billionaires in Davos hate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 70% tax on the rich — When billionaire chief executive Michael Dell was asked on Wednesday whether he would support a proposal put forth by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to tax millionaires at a 70 percent tax rate …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Kamala Harris's Logo Is a Disaster. Here's Why. — Does bad graphic design doom good candidates? Or do lousy candidates inspire bad graphic design? — Back in 2016, I was pretty bullish on Marco Rubio's presidential prospects—right up until the moment I saw this: — The candidate's name in lower case?
Akela Lacy / The Intercept:
Trump Administration Grants South Carolina Foster Care Agencies Authority to Discriminate Against Jewish and Muslim Families — The Trump administration on Wednesday made a quiet move that opens the door for the religious right to use the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act to discriminate …