memeorandum: David Axelrod on Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and the 2020 Field (Isaac Chotiner/New Yorker)

5:20 PM ET, February 2, 2019

Top Items:

Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, Defies Calls to Resign Over Racist Photo — RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia, facing pressure from his own party to resign, said Saturday he would not quit and denied that he had appeared in Ku Klux Klan robes or in blackface in images …

Washington Post:

Va. Gov. Northam is refusing to step down, despite flood of calls for his resignation for ‘racist and offensive’ photo, party says — RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is refusing to resign despite overwhelming pressure from within his own party and has told at least one lawmaker …

Virginian-Pilot:

There was more than 1 photo of men in blackface in the 1984 EVMS yearbook — A photo in the 1984 EVMS yearbook pictures a man who appears to be in blackface and dressed as a woman with the caption: “who ever thought Diana Ross would make it to Medical School!”

Discussion: WTKR-TV and WTOP

Ryan Nobles / CNN:

Northam tells Virginia Democrat it wasn't him in racist photo, won't resign despite mounting pressure to do so — (CNN)Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has told a source he now believes it is not him in a racist yearbook photo and, despite mounting pressure to resign, that he will not do so …

Discussion: Reason, The Daily Beast, Chicks On The Right, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Raw Story, The Root, NTK Network, The New Neo, New York Times, The Nation and FOX59

Associated Press:

The Latest: Virginia governor to speak again about photo — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Latest on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and racist photo in 1984 yearbook (all times local): — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is planning a news conference where he's expected to say he's not resigning …

Discussion: Daily Wire, Breitbart, Townhall, Conservative News Today, The Daily Beast, thenationalsentinel.com, The Post & Email, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com and Mediaite

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Ralph Northam is done, whether he knows it or not — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) may not know it yet, but in all likelihood he is done. — On Friday, images emerged of Northam's medical school yearbook page, on which there is a photo of a man in blackface next to a man in a Ku Klux Klan robe.

Discussion: ABC News, Axios, Politico, Joe.My.God., IJR, Contemptor, Breitbart and Geller Report

Virginian-Pilot: Bonds of trust broken, Northam must resign

Scott Johnson / Power Line:
A man for all seasons — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Instapundit, Breitbart and twitchy.com

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Ralph Northam must resign. And that's just a start.

Discussion: Chicks On The Right, USA Today and Daily Wire

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Ralph Northam's yearbook scandal grows with new blackface admission

Discussion: Mediaite

Fenit Nirappil / Washington Post:
Justin Fairfax would become Virginia's 2nd black governor if Northam resigns

Discussion: Daily Kos, Conservative News Today and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Trump Sought a Loan During the 2016 Campaign. Deutsche Bank Said No. — Donald J. Trump was burning through cash. — It was early 2016, and he was lending tens of millions of dollars to his presidential campaign and had been spending large sums to expand the Trump Organization's roster of high-end properties.

Discussion: Vox, CNN, CNBC and Raw Story

Renae Merle / Washington Post:
Deutsche Bank faces inquiry from congressional committees

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and CNBC

Wall Street Journal: Trump Organization Sought Loan From Deutsche Bank in 2016, Was Rebuffed

John Walcott / TIME:

‘Willful Ignorance.’ Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings — In the wake of President Donald Trump's renewed attacks on the U.S. intelligence community this week, senior intelligence briefers are breaking two years of silence to warn that the President is endangering American security …

Discussion: Raw Story

Matthew Daly / Associated Press:
In Reversal, Trump Now Claims He's on the ‘Same Page’ as His Intelligence Chiefs

Discussion: Hullabaloo and New York Times

Axios:

The Schultz effect: Liberals own 2020 — The rising Democratic enthusiasm for big government liberalism is forcing a trio of leading 2020 contenders to rethink jumping in, several sources tell Axios. — What's happening: Michael Bloomberg and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Common Dreams, The Mahablog and Splinter

Kristen Soltis Anderson / Washington Post:
Sorry, Howard Schultz. You're not the centrist American voters are looking for.

Discussion: Common Dreams and National Review

Change Research:
Polling on Howard Schultz for President

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and Political Wire

Bret Stephens / New York Times:
Howard Schultz Derangement Syndrome

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:

David Axelrod on Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and the 2020 Field — During the past week, Kamala Harris held the first big rally of her Presidential campaign, Cory Booker announced his candidacy, Howard Schultz floated a run as an Independent, and Republicans fretted about President Trump's weak poll numbers.

Discussion: VICE

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Warren campaign gets real — The Massachusetts senator is set to do an official kickoff and tour of multiple states in a show of organizational muscle. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is preparing a robust, official launch to her presidential campaign in her home state of Massachusetts next week …

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: DNC convention buzz ...

Discussion: Washington Post, CBS News, Breaking911, Los Angeles Times and Axios

Michael R. Pompeo / US Department of State:

U.S. Intent To Withdraw from the INF Treaty February 2, 2019 — Press Statement Secretary of State Washington, DC — On December 4, 2018, the United States announced that the Russian Federation is in material breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, an assessment shared by all NATO Allies.

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Why Putin won't be mad about Trump pulling out of the INF treaty

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Raw Story and New York Times

BBC:
INF nuclear treaty: Russia follows US in suspending pact

Discussion: The Week and Gizmodo

Anton Troianovski / Washington Post:
Following U.S., Putin suspends nuclear pact and promises new weapons

Discussion: Bloomberg and Raw Story

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Russia Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty in ‘Symmetrical’ Response to U.S. Move

Discussion: Gizmodo, Outside the Beltway, Political Wire, Pacific Standard and The White House

Vladimir Isachenkov / Associated Press:
Russia to pull plug on nuclear arms pact after US does same

Discussion: Reuters, POLITICUSUSA, Politico and NATO

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:

Trump taps Ronny Jackson to receive promotion and be his doctor, despite open investigation — The Pentagon's inspector general opened a case against Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson in June. — President Trump has tapped a senior Navy officer that he considered last year to be his Veterans Affairs secretary …

Discussion: Task & Purpose

Katie Rogers / New York Times:

In the Pale of Winter, Trump's Tan Remains a State Secret — WASHINGTON — The trees in the capital are barren, spindly things. The temperature has dipped, requiring puffy coats. With the government open — for now — President Trump has left the frigidity of governing for a weekend in Palm Beach.

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:

Bill Maher Makes Racist ‘Popeyes Chicken’ Remark to Black Congressman Will Hurd — On ‘Real Time’ Friday night, the HBO host did the unthinkable... again. — Marlow Stern — Two years ago, comedian Bill Maher got in hot water after using the N-word on his HBO program Real Time.

Discussion: RT, Daily Wire, The Root and Washington Free Beacon

NBC News:

Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard — Experts who track websites and social media linked to Russia have seen stirrings of a possible campaign of support for Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard. — The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence …

Discussion: Raw Story and HuffPost