memeorandum: How Facebook Trains Content Moderators to Put Out ‘PR Fires’ During Elections (Joseph Cox/Motherboard)

1:25 PM ET, January 28, 2019

Top Items:

Mike Bloomberg Statement on Independent Runs — Last fall I spent over $100 million of my own money to elect Democrats to the House because I believed it was absolutely imperative to ensure a congressional counterweight to President Trump. Thankfully, we were successful.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios, The Daily Beast and The New Civil Rights Movement

Ben White / Politico:

Wall Street freaks out about 2020 — NEW YORK — Top Wall Street executives would love to be rid of President Donald Trump. But they are getting panicked about the prospect of an ultraliberal Democratic nominee bent on raising taxes and slapping regulations on their firms.

Discussion: One America News Network and Splinter

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Howard Schultz Might Reelect Trump Because He Doesn't Understand How Politics Works — Billionaire coffee-shop mogul Howard Schultz is seriously thinking of running for president as an independent. Schultz appears to be one of those rich people who has confused his success in one field …

Discussion: New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, Outside the Beltway and Balloon Juice

Mike Allen / Axios:

Howard Schultz knows some Dems are going to hate him — Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz tells Axios he's “unfazed” by the online trashing from Democrats who think that by running for president as an independent, he could split the anti-Trump vote and re-elect the president.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Salon, twitchy.com, Hot Air, IJR, AOL, The Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller, One America News Network and Breitbart

David Frum / The Atlantic:

Howard Schultz May Save the Democratic Party From Itself — The Starbucks founder Howard Schultz is the Twitter villain of the hour. If hot takes actually generated heat, Schultz would already have been vaporized under the onrush of magma. His offense: contemplating a run for president as a self-funded independent centrist.

Discussion: CNBC, Daily Wire, GeekWire and Power Line

Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:

New Party, Who Dis? — A new poll shows New Hampshire Democrats prefer a Democratic Socialist to Hillary Clinton. And also shows Trump losing big to Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren—and Beto O'Rourke. — A remarkable New Hampshire poll released Sunday shows that state Democrats …

Discussion: NBC News, The Resurgent and Political Wire

Scott Pelley / CBS News:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he's considering independent run for president

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

‘Want to see the Lincoln bedroom?’: Trump relishes role as White House tour guide — When President Trump brings senators, New York friends or other guests to the Oval Office, he occasionally opens a door near his desk summoning guests to follow. Flashing a grin, he wants his friends …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Conservative News Today, The Root, The Big Lead, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Splinter, Althouse and Mediaite

Elaina Plott / The Atlantic:

An Obscure White House Staffer's Jaw-Dropping Trump Tell-All — “This is the worst f—ing job I've ever had.” — So snapped John Kelly on a March morning in the West Wing, according to a new book by Cliff Sims. The chief of staff was sitting in his office, a light-filled space …

Discussion: Politico, The Week, Raw Story and Splinter

Ylan Mui / CNBC:

The government shutdown cost the economy $11 billion, including a permanent $3 billion loss, Congressional Budget Office says — The federal government shutdown cost the economy $11 billion, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Discussion: Shakesville

Jennifer Scholtes / Politico:
Shutdown cost the U.S. $3 billion that won't be recovered, CBO says

Discussion: One America News Network

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Shutdown Cost U.S. Economy $11 Billion, C.B.O. Says

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

CBO Publications:
The Effects of the Partial Shutdown Ending in January 2019

Discussion: The Guardian and Daily Kos

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

As Trump slides in new poll, he retreats deeper into Fox News fantasyland — A new Post-ABC News poll finds that most Americans believe President Trump is failing spectacularly by many different metrics. Large majorities say he doesn't have the temperament to be president …

Discussion: NBC News, Talking Points Memo and Wall Street Journal

Justin Wise / The Hill:

Trump rips into Fox News over shutdown, border wall coverage — President Trump on Sunday blasted a pair of Fox News reporters over their coverage of the border wall negotiations, claiming that they have “less understanding” than journalists at “fake news CNN & NBC.”

Discussion: Vox, Salon, Washington Post, Contemptor, The Root, Conservative News Today, Joe.My.God., AOL and IJR

Tamar Auber / Mediaite:
Trump Goes After Fox News: ‘Even Less Understanding’ of Wall than ‘Fake News CNN and MSNBC’

Discussion: The Hill, IJR, Splinter, Conservative News Today and Talking Points Memo

Washington Post:
Midway through first term, Trump is not meeting the public's modest expectations for his job performance, poll finds

Discussion: ABC News and Daily Kos

Cliff Sims / Politico:

‘Mean as a Snake’: When President Trump Met the Real Mitch McConnell — It's nearly impossible to have a conversation while waiting on the president to make an appearance. Instead, everyone steals glances at the closed door, waiting for it to open, and converses in short …

Discussion: Raw Story

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Trump ‘very pissed off’ at former White House aide's tell-all

Discussion: Political Wire

Jason Sweeten / BuzzFeed:

Do You Still Have A Job At BuzzFeed? — “As you know, the company is going thru a reorganization...” — This post has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone create a post. Learn more or post your buzz!

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

Katrin Bennhold / New York Times:

Another Side of #MeToo: Male Managers Fearful of Mentoring Women — DAVOS, Switzerland — Men attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this year were worried about a lot of things. A global economic slowdown. Threats to cybersecurity. Populism. War.

Discussion: Jezebel and Althouse

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

Trump Thought Firing Flynn Would End ‘Russia Thing,’ Chris Christie Writes in Book — President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, believed that the “Russia thing” would end as a side effect from the firing of the national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn …

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, Law & Crime, The Week, Mediaite and Booman Tribune

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: The Koch network donor retreat turns touchy-feely

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and fox13now.com

CNN:

State of the Union will not take place Tuesday, Pelosi aide says — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's second State of the Union address will not take place on Tuesday, an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN. — The aide confirmed that the address, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit and The Guardian

New York Times:

The Trump Administration Is Making a Mockery of the Supreme Court — It promised to create a ‘robust’ waiver process for visa applicants from countries affected by the travel ban. The process is a sham. — Ms. Fisher and Ms. Power advocate for the rights of refugees.

New York Times: Trump's Border Wall for Asylum Seekers

Los Angeles Times:

Kamala Harris emerges as a 2020 front-runner, but is that a good thing? … Even before Kamala Harris' campaign launch in Oakland on Sunday, her nascent 2020 bid had already hit full gallop — a star turn on “Good Morning America,” a self-reported seven-figure fundraising milestone, a friendly reception in a key primary state.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Politico, Gothamist, Scared Monkeys, Front Page Magazine and Talking Points Memo

Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
Kamala Harris and Oakland: A Love Story?

Discussion: East Bay Times

Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:

$1.5 trillion U.S. tax cut has no major impact on business capex plans: survey — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration's $1.5 trillion cut tax package appeared to have no major impact on businesses' capital investment or hiring plans, according to a survey released a year …

Mujib Mashal / New York Times:

U.S. and Taliban Agree in Principle to Peace Framework, Envoy Says — KABUL, Afghanistan — American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal in which the insurgents guarantee to prevent Afghan territory from being used by terrorists …

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Beast, The Week, The Resurgent and National Review

Tony Briscoe / Chicago Tribune:

Chicago's record for coldest temperature ever could fall as polar vortex has city ‘in the crosshairs’ — Snow over the Chicago area arrives ahead of an arctic blast of air that may set new record cold temperatures. — One of the coldest air masses in years will envelop the Midwest …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Fox News, Breitbart and Washington Post

David Freedlander / New York Magazine:

Hiding Out With Randy Credico, the Stand-Up Comic Who Could Help Put Roger Stone in Prison — It is the Wednesday after the midterms, and comedian and longtime New York political stuntman Randy Credico is smoking an e-cigarette at the Friars Club bar, expounding on his theory that the president …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and NY State of Politics

Associated Press:

AP-NORC poll: Most Americans oppose Trump's foreign policy — WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Americans disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling U.S. foreign policy and about half think the country's global standing will deteriorate during the next year …

Discussion: Vox

Yahoo News:

'World's loneliest duck' Trevor dies on tiny Niue — A lone duck named Trevor that lived on the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue has died, officials say, sparking an outpouring of grief from as far away as New Zealand. — The celebrity mallard found fame last year after a visiting journalist …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Post-shutdown negotiations look brutal for Trump — Lawmakers in both parties are skeptical about President Trump's chances of securing funding for his wall on the Mexican border after a 35-day partial government shutdown that bruised the White House's political standing.

Craig Gilbert / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Latest polling data point to major re-election challenges for Trump in Wisconsin — With less than two years to go before the 2020 election, President Donald Trump faces an uphill climb in winning a second victory in Wisconsin, a battleground that will be at the epicenter of the next presidential campaign.

Joseph Cox / Motherboard:

How Facebook Trains Content Moderators to Put Out ‘PR Fires’ During Elections — Internal Facebook documents obtained by Motherboard show specific steps and strategies taken by the company to fight content moderation issues that may spike during an election season.

Discussion: Facebook and Axios, more at Techmeme »