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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:
CNBC, POLITICUSUSA, The Week, ThinkProgress and Raw Story
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‘Master negotiator’ or ‘nonentity’? Kushner thrusts himself into middle of shutdown debate — Jared Kushner spoke up at a recent Oval Office meeting about cutting a deal to end the government shutdown, which has been the latest project for President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.


Trump says he won't give State of the Union during shutdown after being disinvited by Pelosi — (CNN)President Donald Trump made a concession to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Thursday, agreeing to not give a State of the Union address until after the government shutdown standoff has ended.
Discussion:
The Week


Pelosi tells Trump: No State of the Union address in the House until government is opened


Sen. Cory Gardner to break with Republicans on Trump's wall — it's the right thing to do — Colorado senator's spokesman says Gardner intends to vote for clean funding bill that would open the government with no border-security strings attached. — Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner's …
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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:
Politico, Common Dreams and Splinter


McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked legislation on Wednesday that would reopen most of the government currently closed during the partial shutdown. — Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) went to the Senate floor to ask for consent …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Washington Post, VTDigger and TheBlaze


Trump Says He'll Delay Speech Until After Shutdown, as Democrats Draft Border Security Plan — WASHINGTON — President Trump said late Wednesday that he would deliver his State of the Union address once the federal government reopens, capping a day of brinkmanship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi …
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Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge and NY State of Politics
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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 …
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Associated Press, Hullabaloo, Power Line, Hot Air, Raw Story, Politico and Political Wire


Pelosi Sends Letter to President Trump on the State of the Union Address
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Townhall, CNN, Associated Press, IJR, The Stream and National Review


The Trump-Pelosi war just intensified. We're in for two years of crisis.
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Breitbart, ABC News and The Mahablog

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 …


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:
The Daily Banter, Vox, Shareblue Media and The Root
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The Media Botched the Covington Catholic Story
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1A, The American Conservative and Instapundit

Hebrew Israelites See Divine Intervention in Lincoln Memorial Confrontation
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The Resurgent, New York Post, Conservative News Today and RedState

Nothing justifies what the Covington students did
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The American Conservative, ThinkProgress and The New Neo

Never Tweet — The controversy over the Covington students shows …
Discussion:
The Federalist, Bloomberg and Patreon


“She Was a Cartoon Villain Brought to Life”: A Former Trump Aide Recalls Conway's Leaking Tactics in the West Wing Viper's Nest — In this exclusive excerpt from Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House, a former Trump aide recalls the leaking, the gossiping …


Maduro Cuts Ties With U.S. After Trump Recognizes New Leader in Venezuela — CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela faced the most direct challenge to his hold on power on Wednesday, when an opposition leader stood in the streets of the capital and declared himself …
Discussion:
Home Page Rotator, TheDrive, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run, Vox and TheBlaze
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Trump Makes the Right Decision for Venezuela
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NPR, Hot Air, Common Dreams and RedState


BuzzFeed to Cut 15% of Its Workforce — Layoffs could affect about 250 jobs across the company — BuzzFeed is planning to lay off about 15% of its workforce, according to people familiar with the situation, as the company seeks to reorient itself in a shifting digital-media landscape.
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Breitbart, The Post & Email, RedState, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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BuzzFeed to cut 15% of staff in new round of layoffs — New York (CNN)BuzzFeed is preparing to announce a significant round of layoffs, according to sources familiar with the matter. — The coming contraction is the latest example of digital media companies having to make cutbacks in a difficult operating environment.
Discussion:
New York Times and TheBlaze


Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots, Flight Attendants Detail Serious Safety Concerns Due to Shutdown — Washington, D.C. — On Day 33 of the government shutdown, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) President Joe DePete …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Axios and Mediaite


Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says She Was Raped in College — Ernst speaks in first interview since divorce details divulged — Fourth-ranking Senate Republican up for re-election in 2020 — Republican Senator Joni Ernst says that she was raped in college by someone she knew …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Des Moines Register and The Daily Caller


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?


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 …
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Curbed NY, New York Times, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones and The Real Deal New York
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Michael Cohen postpones congressional testimony because of threats to family from Trump and Giuliani — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is postponing his plan to testify before Congress in February because of concerns about his family's safety, according to Lanny Davis, Cohen's advisor.
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Wall Street Journal, CNN, Townhall, Roll Call, Washington Press, Deadline, Raw Story and TheBlaze
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House Oversight Panel Launches Inquiry Into White House Security Clearances
Discussion:
Raw Story


At least 5 people killed at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, police say — (CNN)A gunman who barricaded himself in a SunTrust Bank in Florida killed at least five people in the branch on Wednesday, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said. — The suspect called authorities to say he had entered …
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Sun-Sentinel, WTVR-TV, KFOR-TV and TheBlaze
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Ex-Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly Calls on President to End Shutdown — Former White House chief of staff John Kelly, along with four other former Homeland Security secretaries, has called on President Trump to end the partial government shutdown in order to ensure national security.


Red MAGA Hats Are the New White Hoods - Let's Take a Stand (Commentary) — “These hats symbolize hate,” actress and activist says — Last week, a group of boys engaged with a Native American man beating a tribal drum. The exchange was caught on video. And watching that video, each of us saw what we wanted to see.
Discussion:
Breitbart

Snopes Introduces New ‘Factually Inaccurate But Morally Right’ Fact Check Result — U.S.—Popular fact-checking site Snopes.com confirmed Wednesday they are debuting a new “Factually inaccurate but morally right” fact check result for claims they don't want to debunk because they coincide with Snopes editors' worldview.
Discussion:
NB Blog


Trump's Transgender Military Ban and Lessons from a Lifetime of Gender-Policing — Last week, I was in a bathroom in a café in Miami Beach. The café had two separate bathrooms, each with a toilet, a sink, and a locking door. One was marked “Women” and the other “Men.”
Discussion:
New York Times, Mashable and Shareblue Media


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.
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YouTube, Splinter, The Week, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com


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:
The Daily Caller, Splinter, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and Detroit Metro Times