memeorandum: GOP compares Ocasio-Cortez to Trump (Scott Wong/The Hill)

3:05 AM ET, January 25, 2019

Top Items:

Officials rejected Jared Kushner for top secret security clearance, but were overruled — Jared Kushner was rejected for a top secret clearance by 2 career security specialists, but their supervisor overruled them and approved him, say sources. — WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner's application …

Discussion: Splinter, Raw Story, Politico, Washington Press, The Week, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA and Mediaite

CNN:

Exclusive: White House preparing draft national emergency order and identified $7 billion for wall — Washington (CNN)The White House is preparing a draft proclamation for President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency along the southern border and has identified more than $7 billion …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, The Root, Hot Air, illegal immigration …, Daily Kos, The Atlantic, Balloon Juice, RT, Splinter, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Resurgent, TheBlaze and Mediaite

Heather Caygle / Politico:

Trump White House grows eager to escape losing shutdown fight — Now that the Senate has shot down President Donald Trump's compromise offer to end the month-long government shutdown, White House officials aren't sure of their next move. — But they do know one thing: they're losing, and they want to cut a deal.

Discussion: RealClearPolitics, Breitbart, One America News Network, New York Times, Roll Call, Townhall, Raw Story, Hit & Run, POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God., The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Daily Wire and Sara A. Carter

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Kushner floats deal of permanent protections for 1.8 million dreamers, LULAC chief says — Top White House adviser Jared Kushner told members of Latino advocacy organizations on Thursday that President Donald Trump was willing to give 1.8 million Dreamers permanent protections from deportation …

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:

Trump Just Lost His Leverage for Building a Wall — Two failed votes in the Senate on reopening the government show the president can't even count on the Republican majority to have his back. — President Donald Trump doesn't seem to realize it, but his claim to any leverage on the shutdown …

Discussion: CNN, The Atlantic and Balloon Juice

Washington Post: Trump administration to start sending asylum seekers back to Mexico

Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Pelosi: No Dem counteroffer on border security

Discussion: One America News Network, Politico, Townhall, Daily Wire and Vox

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:
Two Competing Plans to End Shutdown Fail in the Senate

Discussion: Roll Call, Raw Story, ABC News and Mediaite

Washington Post:

‘This is your fault’: GOP senators clash over shutdown inside private luncheon — Republican senators clashed with each other and confronted Vice President Pence inside a private luncheon on Thursday, as anger hit a boiling point over the longest government shutdown in history.

Discussion: Raw Story

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

GOP senators read Pence riot act before shutdown votes — Frustrated GOP senators read Vice President Pence the riot act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, telling him the partial government shutdown needs to end soon, according to lawmakers in the room. — Republican senators …

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump just lost a lot of leverage in the shutdown — Thursday's votes on President Trump's and the Democrats' plans to end the month-long government shutdown were never going to succeed. But they sure seem to have reduced Trump's leverage. — Six Republican senators wound up voting …

Discussion: CNN, Breitbart, ABC News and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Washington Post:

Wilbur Ross says furloughed workers should take out a loan. His agency's own credit union is charging nearly 9 percent — The Department of Commerce federal credit union is charging furloughed employees almost 9 percent interest on emergency loans to cover their missing paychecks …

Washington Post:

‘Am I out of touch?’: Trump administration struggles to show empathy for workers. — On Day 34 of the government shutdown, with federal workers set to miss their second straight paycheck on Friday, the Trump administration was prominently represented by two denizens of Wall Street: Wilbur Ross and Larry Kudlow.

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Trump aides set off furor with out-of-touch shutdown remarks

Discussion: Raw Story, Vox, The Week, Common Dreams, Bloomberg and Media Matters for America

New York Times:
Another Loan? Furloughed Employees Balk at Wilbur Ross's Suggestion

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and The Guardian

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press: Commerce chief asks why furloughed workers using food banks

Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren to propose new ‘wealth tax’ on very rich Americans, economist says — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will propose a new “wealth tax” on Americans with more than $50 million in assets, according to an economist advising her on the plan, as Democratic leaders vie …

Discussion: The Intercept, Breitbart, Common Dreams, Hot Air, Bloomberg, Daily Kos, CNN, Washington Free Beacon, Vox, Townhall, Splinter, twitchy.com, Politico, The Week, National Review, Mother Jones, Tax Foundation, Axios, Balloon Juice and Eschaton

CNBC:
Elizabeth Warren to propose ‘wealth tax’ on Americans with more than $50 million in assets, economic advisor says

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and National Review

Jeffrey Schweers / Tallahassee Democrat:

Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigns after Halloween blackface photos emerge — Michael Ertel, the newly appointed Secretary of State of Gov. Ron DeSantis, has resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a private Halloween party 14 years ago.

Elie Mystal / The Nation:

Black Children Don't Have Nick Sandmann's Rights — And they definitely don't get the chance to redeem themselves on national TV with the help of Savannah Guthrie. — On Wednesday morning, I watched Savannah Guthrie help Nick Sandmann gaslight America into disbelieving its own eyes.

Rich Lowry / Politico:
In Defense of the MAGA Hat

Discussion: Breitbart

Robin Givhan / Washington Post:
The MAGA hat is not a statement of policy. It's an inflammatory declaration of identity.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, the daily howler and New York Times

Brian Beutler / Crooked Media:
The Covington Boys and the Poison of Trumpism

Discussion: NB Blog and NBC News

Brian Stelter / CNN:

CNN's Jim Acosta is writing a book about Trump's war with the media — New York (CNN)CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is authoring a book about the Trump administration and its battles with the news media. — The Harper imprint of HarperCollins Publishers announced the book on Thursday morning.

Discussion: The Republic, NB Blog, Breitbart, Daily Wire and The Daily Caller

HarperCollins Publishers:
HARPER TO PUBLISH THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE BY CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT JIM ACOSTA

Discussion: Axios

Washington Post:

Koch network tells donors it plans to stay out of 2020 race, once again declining to back Trump — The conservative Koch political network has told donors that it plans to once again stay out of the presidential race and will not work to help reelect President Trump in 2020 …

Discussion: Raw Story and Axios

Dara Lind / Vox:

The US will begin sending some legal asylum seekers back to Mexico on Friday — The new policy, forcing Central Americans to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending in the US, is starting at the biggest crossing along the US-Mexico border. — The Trump administration is about to implement …

Discussion: Department of Homeland … and Splinter

Alicia A. Caldwell / Wall Street Journal: U.S. to Start Returning Some Asylum Seekers to Mexico

Frank Jack Daniel / Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. to begin returning asylum seekers to Mexico on Friday - official

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently had private meetings with top Democratic Wall Street critic Maxine Waters — J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently met in private with leading Wall Street critic Rep. Maxine Waters …

CNBC: Deutsche Bank queried by US House panels on Trump ties

Washington Post:

Witness in special counsel probe, former Stone associate, collected payments from Infowars through job Stone arranged — Over the past several months, author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi has emerged as one of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's most vexing witnesses in his probe of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

Discussion: Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Fareed Zakaria / Washington Post:

Davos is a microcosm of the world — and the outlook is grim — The atmosphere at the 2019 World Economic Forum reflects the global picture perhaps more genuinely than in years past, and the painting is not very pretty. The mood here is subdued, cautious and apprehensive.

Rachel Bitecofer / New York Times:

Why Trump Will Lose in 2020 — The president is running hard on a strategy of riling up his base. But by doing that, he riles up the Democratic base, too, and that one is bigger. — Dr. Bitecofer is a professor of political science at Christopher Newport University.

Discussion: Raw Story

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:

Sen. Michael Bennet slams Ted Cruz for ‘crocodile tears’ over the shutdown — Sen. Michael F. Bennet, typically a mild-mannered, congenial guy, on Thursday unleashed all of his furor over the partial government shutdown on Sen. Ted Cruz. — In a fiery exchange that played …

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and The Week

Trish Turner / ABC News:
Possible short-term compromise brewing on ending shutdown, Trump wants wall ‘down payment’

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and TheBlaze

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

A Rival Who Can Flummox Trump: A Powerful Woman Named Nancy Pelosi — WASHINGTON — When President Trump is battling a man, he tends to belittle his foe with nicknames like “Cryin' Chuck” and “Low-energy Jeb.” When he is in a fight with a woman, he is known to lob insults like “horseface” and “ugly” and “dog.”

General Colin L. Powell:

Yesterday was a reassuring day for me. I was on my way to Walter Reed Military Hospital for an exam. As I drove along Interstate 495 my left front tire blew out. I am a car guy and knew I could change it but it was cold outside and the lug bolts were very tight.

Discussion: CNN, Task & Purpose, KTLA and IJR

Alberto Luperon / Law & Crime:

Oregon Man Sentenced to 20 Months for Sexually Assaulting a Horse — Remember Kenneth Lijah Duyck? Law&Crime wrote about him back in April of last year. The Oregon man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a horse. That case closed this week.

Aaron Gordon / Gothamist:

MTA Memo: Cuomo's L Train Plan Will Cause Crowding ‘Greater Than Anything Ever Experienced’ — Just a few weeks ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo upended three years of transportation planning and shocked the city by announcing that L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan would no longer need to be shut down for 15 months for repairs.

Discussion: Curbed NY and Streetsblog New York City