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No thank you, Mr. Pecker — Something unusual happened to me yesterday. Actually, for me it wasn't just unusual—it was a first. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse. Or at least that's what the top people at the National Enquirer thought. I'm glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Raw Story, Hot Air, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, CBS News, Mediaite, Politico, CNN, National Review, New York Times, Mother Jones, Vox, NPR, TheBlaze, JustOneMinute, The Guardian, Hollywood Life, Jezebel, POLITICUSUSA, Mashable, The Last Refuge, Splinter, news.avclub.com, RT, Chicks On The Right, Law & Crime, CNBC, The Verge, Gizmodo, The Gateway Pundit, KTLA, Deadline, Lawfare, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, FOX31 Denver, GeekWire, Portland Mercury, The Week, The Daily Caller and Engadget, more at Mediagazer »
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Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of ‘Extortion and Blackmail’ — SEATTLE — Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive, accused the owner of The National Enquirer on Thursday of trying “extortion and blackmail” to stop his investigation into how his private text messages and photos documenting …
Discussion:
Bloomberg


Bezos: National Enquirer Threatened Me With a ‘D*ck Pick’ — The Amazon chief and Washington Post owner says the supermarket tabloid tried to blackmail him with explicit pictures and texts of him and his mistress, Lauren Sanchez. — Call off the Washington Post's investigation, or we'll publish your “d*ck pick.”
Discussion:
One America News Network and The Daily Caller


Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accuses National Enquirer of extortion over intimate photos — Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos said Thursday that he was the target of an extortion and blackmail effort by the National Enquirer, which he accused of threatening to publish intimate pictures …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Balloon Juice and Mashable



Bezos says Enquirer threatened to publish revealing pics
Discussion:
The Atlantic, New York Times and The Guardian


Trump furious after Schiff hires former NSC aides to help oversee his administration — Washington (CNN)House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has hired officials with experience at the National Security Council to help with its oversight of President Donald Trump's administration, according to a committee aide.
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Adam Schiff, Glenn Simpson and their Forrest Gump-like encounter in Aspen — The new House Intelligence Committee chairman, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), has proven to be his party's most effective antagonist toward President Trump. And now, with the new powers of being chairman, he is drawing both new weapons and new scrutiny.
Discussion:
The Last Refuge, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite


Trump Fears Schiff Is Recruiting White House Employees for Probe — Intelligence chairman hired former national security official — Schiff said not to be trying to learn about Trump via hires — Donald Trump believes House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff is trying …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Washington Press, Mediaite, WORLD, Fox News Insider, POLITICUSUSA, Contemptor, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Raw Story and Axios

Adam Schiff says there's collusion — US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) joins us for an update on the Trump-Russia investigation. — In this episode, Schiff responds to Trump's latest attack on him just this morning; and gives his views on the infamous Trump Tower meeting …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA


Ahead of annual physical, Trump has not followed doctor's orders — (CNN)President Donald Trump was less than thrilled last year when his personal physician recommended he get on a diet, start exercising and set a goal of losing a dozen pounds. — The President famous for his love …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA


Political giant John Dingell dies at 92 — Michigan Democrat John Dingell, the longest-serving member ever of Congress who helped write most of the nation's major environmental and energy laws, died Thursday, his wife said. He was 92. — The Dearborn statesman was a champion …
Discussion:
Axios, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed News, Washington Times, Mediaite, KTLA, KDFW, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Week, Balloon Juice and CNN
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“I Am Disgusted”: Behind the Scenes of Trump's Increasingly Scrutinized $107 Million Inauguration — Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was the mastermind event producer behind Trump's inaugural celebration, which has since come under S.D.N.Y. investigation. Now, taped conversations reveal Wolkoff's concerns …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Whitaker agrees to testify before Congress after saying he wouldn't if under subpoena threat — The House Judiciary Committee chairman said late Thursday that a standoff with the acting attorney general had ended in an agreement for Matthew G. Whitaker to testify publicly Friday …
Discussion:
The Daily Signal, CNN, FiveThirtyEight, American Oversight, Townhall and Mediaite


The Mueller investigation has sprouted. Therein lies the jeopardy for Trump.
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Raw Story

‘They Hate This Guy’: Matt Whitaker Braces for Showdown With Dems
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Raw Story, Law & Crime, emptywheel and CNN

The showdown between Democrats and acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, explained
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story


Virginia Sen. Tommy Norment was an editor for VMI yearbook filled with racist photos and slurs — Blackface and Confederate flag images are seen from the 1968 edition of Bomb: Virginia Military Institute's yearbook. — Virginia Senator Thomas K. Norment arrives on the floor of the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.
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Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Louisiana law that its opponents say could have left the state with only one doctor in a single clinic authorized to provide abortions. — The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Wire
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Supreme Court on 5-to-4 vote blocks restrictive Louisiana abortion law — A divided Supreme Court said Thursday that Louisiana may not enforce a law that opponents say would close most of the state's abortion clinics and leave it with only one doctor eligible to perform the procedure.


The 10 Most Insane Requirements Of The Green New Deal — The Green New Deal isn't just un-America, it's also completely bonkers. — Note: Ocasio-Cortez's office has taken down their page describing the Green New Deal. — A number of Democratic Party presidential hopefuls …
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Releases Green New Deal Outline
Discussion:
National Review, RedState, Hit & Run, Shareblue Media, The Week, CNN, The Hill, Mother Jones, The Daily Caller, Vox, Tampa Bay Times, RT, The Last Refuge, Conservative Review, The Daily Signal, Louder With Crowder, Portland Mercury, Grist, Townhall, Chicks On The Right, Instapundit, Daily Wire, Gothamist, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, The Atlantic, Curbed, Daily Kos, IJR, Axios, Washington Post, Politico, Common Dreams, TheBlaze, HuffPost, twitchy.com, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Conservative News Today, Gizmodo, Bloomberg, ThinkProgress, Jacobin, Fox News, NTK Network, VICE News, NRCC, Hullabaloo, The Resurgent, Balloon Juice, The Verge and Mediaite

The Impossible Green Dream of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Discussion:
Breitbart


Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi — WASHINGTON — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia told a top aide in a conversation in 2017 that he would use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist killed in October …
Discussion:
The Week, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite


Manafort kept working in Ukraine after Mueller indictment, transcript shows — According to prosecutors, Paul Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik had a discussion that referred to a “backdoor.” — The newly released transcript of a sealed hearing held earlier this week reveals …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media and Raw Story
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‘I was up all night’ going through plagiarism claims, Jill Abramson says — Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson responded Thursday to allegations that she plagiarized portions of her new book, “Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts,” …
Discussion:
Vox, NPR, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, RedState, NB Blog, Conservative News Today, Associated Press, Breitbart and Splinter, more at Mediagazer »
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Can a Journalist as Important as Jill Abramson Be a Plagiarist?
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »


BREAKING: U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall will not seek re-election — U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, who narrowly won the closest congressional race in the nation last fall, will not seek re-election next year, all but ensuring his rapidly-diversifying suburban House district will become one of the country's fiercest political battlegrounds in 2020.
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, CNN, Rob Woodall, Joe.My.God., Washington Post, IJR and Politico


Trump's biggest nightmare isn't Mueller — In this new weekly column “Cross-exam,” Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and CNN legal analyst, gives his take on the latest legal news and answers questions from readers. Post your questions below. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.
Discussion:
Wired, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Latest - Truthout


Democratic focus groups may have identified a hidden vulnerability for Trump — This is the week that the broad outlines of President Trump's reelection strategy are coming into focus. Trump will continue pushing forward with his reactionary xenophobic nationalist agenda on immigration …
Discussion:
Toronto Star and Raw Story


Trump's troop deployment strung ‘lethal’ razor wire on the border. This city has had enough. — Arturo Garino said one of his constituents told him about the razor wire on Saturday night. — Garino knew the military had installed a line of wire across the top of the fence that divides Nogales …
Discussion:
Splinter, Hit & Run, Defense One and Raw Story


Former Fox News reporter named to lead counter-propaganda efforts at State — (CNN)The State Department on Thursday announced that a former Fox News reporter would lead its agency in charge of efforts to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation. — Lea Gabrielle will become …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »


New York's Grand Hyatt Hotel to Be Torn Down — A development group will demolish the glass-sheathed hotel by Grand Central Terminal that was Donald Trump's first major Manhattan project, and replace it with a mixed-use tower.
Discussion:
View from the Wing, Curbed NY and WPIX 11 New York