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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
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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 …


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 »


The GOP is in a very familiar shutdown position: Losing it badly
Discussion:
Washington Monthly

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


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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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


Pelosi Sends Letter to President Trump on the State of the Union Address
Discussion:
National Review, CNN, ABC News, IJR and The Daily Signal

A Letter from the President to Speaker Pelosi
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IJR, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, RedState and Splinter


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

Immigration advocates to meet with Pence on deal to protect Dreamers, end shutdown
Discussion:
CNN


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 …
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A “go big” idea to end the shutdown
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Washington Post, Politico, ABC News, illegal immigration …, One America News Network, The Week, Daily Wire, NBC News, National Review and Raw Story

Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, blames Trump “threats”
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News and One America News Network

Cohen Postpones House Testimony Over Trump's ‘Threats Against His Family’
Discussion:
Hullabaloo


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
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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, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Florida Politics
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Maduro Cuts Ties with U.S. After Trump Recognizes New Leader in Venezuela — CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela scrapped all diplomatic ties with the United States on Wednesday and gave American diplomats 72 hours to leave, ordering them out with a derisive …
Discussion:
Home Page Rotator, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run and TheBlaze


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
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Nothing justifies what the Covington students did
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ThinkProgress, The New Neo and Washington Free Beacon

The Trump-Era Overcorrection
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The Federalist, Patreon, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post and The Guardian


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
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Top Dem: We would support $5.7B for a ‘smart wall’
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Splinter, Washington Post and The Last Refuge

Power Up: ‘It just looks bad.’ Some Democrats pressuring leadership to end shutdown stalemate.
Discussion:
ABC News, Vox, Daily Wire and Politico


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, Raw Story, The Week and Detroit Metro Times


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 …
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At least 5 people killed at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, police say
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KFOR-TV, The Daily Beast, fox13now.com and TheBlaze

‘Several down’ after shooting, hostage situation at SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida, reports say
Discussion:
Breitbart, Raw Story and The Daily Caller


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, Splinter, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com
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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?


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 »


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 …


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


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.


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:
Bloomberg, Curbed NY, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones and The Real Deal New York


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 …


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 …


He Reported on Facebook. Now He Approaches It With Caution. — Nick Confessore, an investigative reporter who has written about social media and data privacy, has changed his tech habits after what he has learned. … You've written a lot about data privacy and the misuse of people's online data.