memeorandum: Deutsche Bank in Late 2016 Raced to Shed Loan It Made to Russian Bank VTB (Wall Street Journal)

9:40 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 …

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 FOX59

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 …

Marc Caputo / Politico:

6 moments of weirdness with Ralph Northam — It was no easy feat. But on Saturday, Ralph Northam staked a claim in the annals of most surreal political press conferences, presiding over a 40-minute extravaganza that would do Mark Sanford and Jim McGreevey proud. Or something like that.

Discussion: Axios and Daily Wire

Rhae Lynn Barnes / Washington Post:

The troubling history behind Ralph Northam's blackface Klan photo — How blackface shaped Virginia politics and culture for more than a century. — A viral photo of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) overshadowed the first day of Black History Month. As an expert in the history …

Discussion: Mediaite

Associated Press:
The Latest: Virginia governor to speak again about photo

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

Eugene Volokh / Reason:
The Northam Controversy, the Kavanaugh Controversy, and Long-Past Misbehavior

Discussion: Washington Press and The Gateway Pundit

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Ralph Northam is done, whether he knows it or not

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, Quillette, Axios, Joe.My.God., ABC News, Contemptor and Breitbart

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

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

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

Discussion: Mediaite and Contemptor

Ryan Nobles / CNN:
Northam tells Virginia Democrat it wasn't him in racist photo, won't resign despite mounting pressure to do so

Discussion: The Daily Beast, WTVR-TV, Washington Press, theGrio, New York Times, thenationalsentinel.com, The Root, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Breitbart, NTK Network, The New Neo, The Daily Caller, The Nation and twitchy.com

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

Discussion: Chicks On The Right, Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit

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

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, CNBC, Raw Story and CNN

Wall Street Journal:

Deutsche Bank in Late 2016 Raced to Shed Loan It Made to Russian Bank VTB — Deutsche Bank raced in 2016 to shed a loan it had made to VTB Group that raised concerns inside the German lender about exposure to Russia, according to documents and people familiar with the matter.

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: Washington Press and 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

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: CNN, Task & Purpose, Hullabaloo and Splinter

Christian Vasquez / Politico:
Trump appoints Ronny Jackson chief medical adviser

Discussion: Political Wire

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.

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:

Russia Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty in ‘Symmetrical’ Response to U.S. Move — MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in a decision that was widely expected, suspended his country's observance of a key nuclear arms control pact on Saturday in response to a similar move by the United States a day before.

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

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

Discussion: Bloomberg, Raw Story and NATO

Michael R. Pompeo / US Department of State: U.S. Intent To Withdraw from the INF Treaty February 2, 2019

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

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Raw Story

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.

Jonathan Turley / The Hill:

Is the collusion theory dead? — “Whom did Donald Trump Jr. speak to on his phone in between calls setting up the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians?” That is the question the New York Times asked about “one of the more tantalizing mysteries of the whole Russia affair” in a glossy report on the campaign.

Kevin Sullivan / Washington Post:

‘I am who I am’: Kamala Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, defines herself simply as ‘American’ — SAN FRANCISCO — In early 2010, an Indian American couple hosted a fundraiser in their elegant Pacific Heights home for Kamala Harris, then a Democratic candidate for California attorney general.

Sandra E. Garcia / New York Times:

Chicago Woman Got 30 Hotel Rooms for Homeless People During Severe Cold Snap — As temperatures plunged to life-threatening lows this week, more than 100 homeless people in Chicago unexpectedly found themselves with food, fresh clothes and a place to stay after a local real estate broker intervened.

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

What it's like to golf with the president — West Palm Beach, Fla. — President Trump golfed with professionals Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus on Saturday, ending the longest stretch of his presidency without a round at one of his courses. — The White House is usually reluctant to confirm the president is golfing.