memeorandum: 20 Dead as Bombs Target Sunday Mass in Philippine Cathedral (Associated Press)

8:35 AM ET, January 27, 2019

Top Items:

Trump advisers lied over and over again, Mueller says. The question is, why? — They lied to the public for months before Donald Trump was elected — and then repeatedly after he took office. — They lied to Congress as lawmakers sought to investigate Russia's attack on American democracy in 2016.

Peter Zeidenberg / The Daily Beast:

No Escape for Roger Stone: Mueller's Case Is a Slam Dunk and He's Too Slimy to Get Flipped — Prosecutor who helped convict Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby for lying and obstruction says the case against Trump's old pal is virtually perfect. — The long-anticipated indictment …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Breitbart

Julian Sanchez / New York Times:

Mueller's Real Target in the Roger Stone Indictment — It was probably not Stone himself, but rather his electronic devices. — Mr. Sanchez is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. — For many, Friday's arrest of Roger Stone, the veteran political trickster and longtime adviser to Donald Trump …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Beast, The Intercept, Washington Monthly and Just Security

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

Roger Stone indictment: Is this all Mueller has, or is he closing in on Trump? — Analysis: The charges do not allege Russian coordination, but Mueller might be building a conspiracy case. — WASHINGTON — When special counsel Robert Mueller charged a dozen Russian intelligence officers …

Elie Honig / CAFE:

Flipping Roger Stone — As a federal prosecutor working organized crime cases, I routinely staked trials on testimony from some of the worst human beings on the planet. Prosecutors call them “cooperating witnesses,” defendants and defense attorneys call them “rats,” “snitches” and worse, and trials often turn on their testimony.

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Times, Sun-Sentinel and Mediaite

Associated Press: In Trump ally Stone's case, Mueller finds crime in cover-up

Chuck Rosenberg / Lawfare: Roger Stone's Arrest Was Appropriate, Not Heavy-Handed

New York Times:

Jared Kushner, a Confident Negotiator, Finds Immigration Deal to Be Elusive — WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, was confident in his ability as a good-faith negotiator who could find a compromise to end the government shutdown. — His pitch to Democratic lawmakers was simple …

Discussion: CNN, Politico and Washington Post

Alex Horton / Washington Post:
‘He lied about it’: Ann Coulter rips Trump for failing to secure border wall funding

Discussion: Slate, Chicks On The Right and WTVR-TV

Washington Post:

Donald Trump's demand for a border wall shut down the government. At the same time, his company was firing undocumented workers. — OSSINING, N.Y — They had spent years on the staff of Donald Trump's golf club, winning employee-of-the-month awards and receiving glowing letters of recommendation.

Discussion: Conservative News Today, CNN, New York Times, fox13now.com, Splinter, Washington Press, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

Bernard Condon / Associated Press:

12 immigrant workers at Trump golf course fired, lawyer says — NEW YORK (AP) — A dozen immigrant workers at one of President Donald Trump's golf clubs in New York who are in the U.S. illegally were fired this month even though managers had known about their legal status for years, a lawyer for the workers said Saturday.

Associated Press:

20 Dead as Bombs Target Sunday Mass in Philippine Cathedral — Jolo, Philippines (AP) — Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 81 others during a Sunday Mass, officials said.

Discussion: NPR

New York Times:

A Bruised Trump Faces Uncertain 2020 Prospects. His Team Fears a Primary Fight. — President Trump's defeat in his border-wall standoff with Congress has clouded his already perilous path to a second term in 2020, undercutting Mr. Trump's cherished image as a forceful leader and deft negotiator …

New York Times:
A Bruised Trump Faces Uncertain 2020 Prospects. His Team Fears a Primary Fight.

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Press, AOL, Outside the Beltway, Axios, twitchy.com, Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo and POLITICUSUSA

New York Times:

Trump Meets With Hard-Right Group Led by Ginni Thomas — WASHINGTON — President Trump met last week with a delegation of hard-right activists led by Ginni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, listening quietly as members of the group denounced transgender people and women serving in the military …

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement, Washington Press, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:

Search on for Louisiana man suspected in 5 deaths — NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Authorities in Louisiana said they are searching for an “armed and dangerous” 21-year-old accused of killing his parents and three others in two separate but related shootings Saturday.

CNN:
5 dead after shooting spree in Louisiana

Discussion: WVUE-TV and Daily Kos

New York Times:

U.S. and Taliban Edge Toward Deal to End America's Longest War — KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States and the Taliban are closing in on a deal to end America's longest war after six days of some of the most serious Afghan peace negotiations to date wrapped up on Saturday.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Task & Purpose

Reuters: Foreign troops to quit Afghanistan in 18 months under draft deal: Taliban sources

Ayaz Gul / Voice of America: U.S.-Taliban Agree on Troop Withdrawal Plan, Sources Tell VOA

Pamela Constable / Washington Post: U.S.-Taliban talks appear closer to pact after marathon talks in Qatar

Greenville, NC:

FIRST ON WITN: Congressman Walter Jones in hospice — FARMVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Congressman Walter Jones is in hospice, his wife Joe Anne Jones confirmed Saturday at their home in Farmville. — The family declined to give any other details about his condition.

Discussion: illegal immigration …

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:

Conservative Kelli Ward to lead Arizona Republican Party after upset — Kelli Ward, the bomb-throwing conservative former state senator and loyalist to President Donald Trump, upended the race to lead the Arizona Republican Party by beating the establishment favorite and incumbent GOP chairman, Jonathan Lines.

Discussion: Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Willie Brown / San Francisco Chronicle:

Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what? — I've been peppered with calls from the national media about my “relationship” with Kamala Harris, particularly since it became obvious that she was going to run for president. Most of them, I have not returned. — Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Front Page Magazine

New York Times:

On Venezuela, Rubio Assumes U.S. Role of Ouster in Chief — WASHINGTON — His hand chopping in the air, his voice stern and stalwart, he declared that it was time for the regional despot to go and warned of the consequences if he did not. With a commander in chief's resolve …

Discussion: The American Conservative