memeorandum: Never Tweet — The controversy over the Covington students shows … (Farhad Manjoo/New York Times)

8:35 PM ET, January 23, 2019

Top Items:

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: ThinkProgress, CNBC, Raw Story and Political Wire

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: Power Line, Raw Story and Political Wire

Washington Post:

‘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.

Washington Post:

Pelosi tells Trump: No State of the Union address in the House until government is opened — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday rescinded her invitation to President Trump to deliver the State of the Union in the House next week — denying him a national platform for the annual speech …

Discussion: ABC News, Townhall, Vox, Hot Air, The Root, CNBC, Raw Story, Breitbart, IJR and Althouse

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
House Democrats probe how Jared Kushner got security clearance

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Pelosi / Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Pelosi Sends Letter to President Trump on the State of the Union Address

Discussion: CNN, National Review, ABC News, The Stream and IJR

The White House:
A Letter from the President to Speaker Pelosi

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, IJR, TheBlaze, RedState and Splinter

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
A “go big” idea to end the shutdown

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, ABC News, Daily Wire, The Week, illegal immigration …, NBC News, National Review and Raw Story

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
The Trump-Pelosi war just intensified. We're in for two years of crisis.

Discussion: Shareblue Media and The Mahablog

Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner: Pelosi responds: No State of the Union for Trump unless the shutdown ends

Damian Paletta / Washington Post: Trump's top economist says shutdown could stall the economy completely

Franco Ordoñez / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Immigration advocates to meet with Pence on deal to protect Dreamers, end shutdown

Discussion: CNN

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, POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

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

Discussion: Vox, The Hill, The Nation, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, POLITICUSUSA, The Week, Axios, Political Wire and Public Policy Polling, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Medicare For All Looks Good In New Poll, But There's A Big Asterisk

Discussion: The Henry J. Kaiser …, Gallup, Washington Post, The Guardian, Washington Monthly and TheBlaze

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The GOP is in a very familiar shutdown position: Losing it badly

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune

Wall Street Journal:

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.

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

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

Taylor Garland / Media Releases:

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: Axios

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, The Week, Florida Politics and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ana Vanessa Herrero / New York Times:
Maduro Cuts Ties with U.S. After Trump Recognizes New Leader in Venezuela

Discussion: Bloomberg, Home Page Rotator, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Hit & Run and TheBlaze

Francisco Toro / Caracas Chronicles: Juan Guaidó Claims the Presidency: How Will This Play Out?

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, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones and The Real Deal New York

Bloomberg:

America's Most Expensive Home Sold to Billionaire Ken Griffin — Hedge fund billionaire adds NYC penthouse, London mansion — Manhattan apartment sets American record for priciest property — Ken Griffin is showing how a billionaire goes on a shopping spree.

Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

Never Tweet — The controversy over the Covington students shows why American journalism should disengage from Twitter. — Friends, reporters, fam: It's time we journalists all considered disengaging from the daily rhythms of Twitter, the world's most damaging social network.

Discussion: Patreon, Bloomberg and Splinter

Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post:
Nothing justifies what the Covington students did

Discussion: The American Conservative, Washington Free Beacon and ThinkProgress

John Kass / Chicago Tribune:
Column: Thought crimes, media abuse and those Catholic high school boys from Covington

Discussion: Campus Reform, The Libertarian Republic and Breitbart

Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
The Trump-Era Overcorrection

Discussion: The Federalist, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, The Root and The Guardian

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: Politico, Common Dreams, Washington Post and Splinter

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

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: TheBlaze

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 …

Discussion: USA Today, ABC News, NPR and Hit & Run

CNN:
At least 5 people killed at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, police say

Discussion: WTVR-TV, The Daily Beast, KFOR-TV and TheBlaze

Jeff Weiner / Sun-Sentinel:
‘Several down’ after shooting, hostage situation at SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida, reports say

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Breitbart and Raw Story

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

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

YouTube: Onesie-wearing Beto O'Rourke sings The Ramones in newly unearthed video

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?

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, The Daily Banter, HuffPost and Shareblue Media

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, blames Trump “threats” — President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen said that he will postpone his scheduled Feb. 7 testimony before the House Oversight Committee due to “threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. Giuliani,” …

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and One America News Network

Anita Kumar / Politico: White House takes ‘haphazard’ approach to Dem oversight

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 »

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:

A group representing Nathan Phillips wrongly said he served in Vietnam. Then came the accusations. — There's no evidence that he's ever claimed to have served in Vietnam, a representative said — Nathan Phillips, the U.S. veteran whose standoff with high school students on the steps …

Discussion: Daily Wire, Indian Country Today, Snopes.com, The Guardian and RedState

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