memeorandum: Rep. Marcia Fudge gets restraining order against woman who accused her of assault: 'If I had hit her … (Cory Shaffer/Plain Dealer)

10:15 AM ET, February 7, 2019

Top Items:

John Bresnahan / Politico:

‘Too hot to handle’: Pelosi predicts GOP won't trigger another shutdown — Speaker Nancy Pelosi is vowing that the federal government will not shut down again, even as President Donald Trump ratchets up pressure for his border wall ahead of a fast-approaching deadline.

Discussion: Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, The Week and The Guardian

Danielle Kurtzleben / NPR:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Releases Green New Deal Outline — Whether it's a deadly cold snap or a hole in an Antarctic glacier or a terrifying new report, there seem to be constant reminders now of the dangers that climate change poses to humanity. — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Discussion: Vox, Bloomberg, VICE News, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com

Anthony Adragna / Politico:

Pelosi names members to climate panel — Speaker Nancy Pelosi built out the Democratic roster for her special select panel on climate change, pulling from a mix of old and new lawmakers but leaving off the highest profile freshmen like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Discussion: Political Wire

Ella Nilsen / Vox:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is making the Green New Deal a 2020 litmus test

Discussion: Crooked Media

Dino Grandoni / Washington Post:
The Energy 202: Ocasio-Cortez, Markey unveil Green New Deal with backing of four presidential candidates

Discussion: The Hill and Axios

Kaitlyn Folmer / ABC News:

Rep. Bobby Scott learned of sexual assault allegation against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax a year ago from the accuser: Aides — Virginia Democratic Congressman Bobby Scott was made aware of allegations of sexual assault against now-Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax over a year ago by the alleged victim herself, ABC News has learned.

Discussion: Breitbart, Roll Call, The Daily Caller, Conservative News Today, Washington Post, Axios, Splinter, The Last Refuge, KTLA, Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Ralph Northam must resign — GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D) can no longer effectively serve the people of Virginia who elected him. His shifting and credulity-shredding explanations for the racist photograph on his medical school yearbook page, and the silence into which he then succumbed for days …

Discussion: Townhall, Talking Points Memo, Power Line, Mediaite, The Week, Contemptor, Instapundit, Vox and Balloon Juice

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Democrats rallied around Christine Blasey Ford. Will they do the same with Vanessa Tyson?

Discussion: National Review, National Organization …, Power Line, The Week and New York Times

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Aides say Virginia Democrat knew about sexual assault allegation against lt. governor

Discussion: IJR and ABC News

Ben Paviour / Community Idea Stations:
Fairfax Retained Kavanaugh's Lawyers After Allegations Surfaced

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, RedState, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, Mediaite, WTVR-TV, Law & Crime, NBC News, ThinkProgress, TheBlaze, The Root, Splinter and DCist

Chris Cillizza / CNN:
The Virginia Democratic Party is totally imploding

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, The Week, WTVR-TV and The American Conservative

HuffPost:

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Mistreatment Of Staff Scared Off Candidates To Manage Her Presidential Bid — At least three people withdrew from consideration to lead the senator's nascent campaign — in part because of Klobuchar's history of mistreating her staff. — At least three people …

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon and The Week

The Daily Beast:

Phoenix Police Refute Cindy McCain's Story of Human Trafficking at Airport — Phoenix police on Wednesday disputed Cindy McCain's account of human trafficking at an Arizona airport. McCain had told local news station KTAR on Monday that she intervened at Sky Harbor International Airport …

Discussion: KTAR.com, KASW-TV, Joe.My.God., twitchy.com, Raw Story, Eschaton and The Week

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Paul Erickson, Russian Agent Maria Butina's Boyfriend, Indicted for Fraud — The federal indictment in South Dakota alleges that he ran a criminal scheme from 1996 to 2018 using a chain of assisted living homes. — Betsy Woodruff — Paul Erickson, the American political operative …

Discussion: Law & Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and The Guardian

Washington Post:

After new document is revealed, Warren struggles with questions of identity — Elizabeth Warren was a law professor at the University of Texas when she filled out a form from the state bar that asked her to list her race. Her answer, printed in careful block letters: “American Indian.”

Rich Lowry / Politico:
The Bonfire of the Democrats

Discussion: Althouse and The Daily Beast

Laura Spitalniak / ABC News:
Rep. Joe Kennedy III rules out 2020 bid, but encourages ‘big, broad field’

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and IJR

New York Times:

Virginia Police Sergeant Suspended After Antifa Ties Him to White Nationalism — A police sergeant in Virginia who was assigned to monitor the protests related to Gov. Ralph Northam was suspended Wednesday after being identified by an anti-fascist group as having an “affinity with white nationalist groups.”

Discussion: RedState, Antifa Seven Hills, Raw Story and WTVR-TV

Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Va. Capitol Police sergeant placed on leave after antifa group posts allegation about him

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:

Abolish Billionaires — A radical idea is gaining adherents on the left. It's the perfect way to blunt tech-driven inequality. — Last fall, Tom Scocca, editor of the essential blog Hmm Daily, wrote a tiny, searing post that has been rattling around my head ever since.

Tyler Cowen / Bloomberg:

Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? — Howard Schultz has a point: They don't deserve all the blame for America's wealth inequality. — I have found that when somebody or something is remorselessly mocked in my Twitter feed, there is usually something to be said in their defense.

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

Sophie Tatum / CNN:
CNN to host town hall with Howard Schultz

Discussion: twitchy.com

Antonia Noori Farzan / Washington Post:

A Florida politician allegedly made a habit of licking men's faces. She's now resigned. — It was supposed to be a fun, lighthearted alternative to typical government meetings, and one befitting a laid-back beach town. The city commission of Madeira Beach, Fla. — a coastal community …

Gromer Jeffers Jr / Dallas Morning News:

Some Texas Democrats want Beto O'Rourke to shun presidential bid, challenge John Cornyn instead — Beto O'Rourke appears to be close to jumping into the race for president, but some Texas Democrats hope he'll run for Senate instead. — That's not to say they would be terribly upset by their favorite son running for the White House.

Discussion: Political Wire

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

Beto O'Rourke Was Once Adrift in New York City. Now He's Searching Again. — As the former Texas congressman weighs a run for president, his rebel-in-moderation youth offers revealing parallels to his search for direction now. — All at once, New York City seemed to be conspiring against Beto O'Rourke.

Discussion: The Week and Jezebel

Øptimus Consulting:

2020 General Election Survey - February 2019 — From January 30th through February 1st, we conducted a national survey of 2020 general election likely voters to have an early baseline read of potential match-ups in the Fall of 2020, including the potential independent candidacy of Howard Schultz.

Joshua Green / Bloomberg:
Schultz's Independent Bid in 2020 Would Help Trump, Poll Finds

Discussion: Political Wire, Roll Call, CNBC and Contemptor

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Trump's Popularity Slumps to Record Low in January — (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images) — A majority of voters in 12 states approved of Trump's job performance, while a majority disapproved in 27 states. — Trump's best numbers came in Wyoming and West Virginia …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Sergei Millian, identified as an unwitting source for the Steele dossier, sought proximity to Trump's world in 2016 — Around the time of President Trump's inauguration, two of his supporters met to toast the new administration at the Russia House, a Washington restaurant known among Russian diplomats …

Discussion: Raw Story

Stacy Cowley / New York Times:

Consumer Protection Bureau Cripples New Rules for Payday Loans — Payday lenders won a major victory on Wednesday after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved to gut tougher restrictions that were to take effect later this year. — The industry has spent years trying to fend off the new rules …

Discussion: Consumer Financial … and Splinter

Allison Pecorin / ABC News:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announces plans to scrap pending rule on payday lending

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mother Jones and Common Dreams

Josh Lederman / NBC News:

New Trump rules make it easier for U.S. gun makers to sell overseas — Manufacturers will no longer need State Department licenses to sell dozens of weapons overseas. — WASHINGTON — Semi-automatic weapons, flamethrowers and even some grenades will become easier for U.S. weapons manufacturers …

Anchal Vohra / Foreign Policy:

A Deadly Welcome Awaits Syria's Returning Refugees — As the war in Syria dies down, the torture and mistreatment of returnees are ramping up. — As the Syrian war draws to an end and the barrel bombs stop terrorizing the country, Syrians are being encouraged to return home by the countries to which they have fled.

Washington Post:

‘It will take off like a wildfire’: The unique dangers of the Washington state measles outbreak — VANCOUVER, Wash. — Amber Gorrow is afraid to leave her house with her infant son because she lives at the epicenter of Washington state's worst measles outbreak in more than two decades.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Cory Shaffer / Plain Dealer:

Rep. Marcia Fudge gets restraining order against woman who accused her of assault: ‘If I had hit her, she would have been hurt’ — CLEVELAND, Ohio - A judge on Wednesday granted U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge a restraining order against an Avon woman who claimed the Congresswoman struck her hand …

Discussion: Roll Call and Raw Story

Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review:

Researchers say fears about ‘fake news’ are exaggerated — It's so widely accepted that it's verging on conventional wisdom: misinformation, or “fake news,” spread primarily by Facebook to hundreds of millions of people (and created by Russian agents), helped distort the political landscape …

Avery Anapol / The Hill:

Ohio city to stop observing Columbus Day, make Election Day holiday instead — Officials in the city of Sandusky, Ohio, have decided that the city will no longer observe Columbus Day as a holiday, switching it for Election Day. — City commissioners made the change at a recent meeting, according to the Sandusky Register.

Discussion: Breitbart

Olivia Gazis / CBS News:

Richard Burr on the Senate Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation, 2 years on — The investigation into Russian intelligence activities by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence turned two years old, without fanfare, last month. — For almost as long, the inquiry …

Laura Davison / Bloomberg:

The Battle Over Trump's Tax Return Begins — Political tax fight could halt health care, retirement work — Outside groups are running ads pressuring Democrats to act — House Democrats are facing off with Republicans for a battle that could turn intensely personal for Donald Trump …

Discussion: Towleroad Gay News, POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story

Mark Pulliam / Law & Liberty:

Escaping Our Ship of Fools — I generally avoid books written by radio or TV hosts. They are typically slap-dash efforts—often dictated or ghost-written, padded, and calculated to cash in on sales to an uncritical fan base. Accordingly, even though I regularly watch, and enjoy …

Heather Caygle / Politico:

Biden closes in on 2020 decision — Joe Biden is working one of his most important constituencies as he closes in on a decision about running for president: Capitol Hill Democrats. — In recent weeks, the former vice president and longtime Democratic senator has spoken …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and BuzzFeed News

Ciara O'Rourke / @politifact:

Viral image falsely identifies U.S. congressman as El Chapo — “Why is Nancy and Beto with convicted Mexican drug lord El Chapo?” — That's the grammatically errant query posed in a viral Facebook post featuring a photo of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House Rep. Beto O'Rourke …

Ariel Edwards-Levy / HuffPost:

Republicans Split On Whether Blackface Is A Problem — Democrats overwhelmingly say it is. — Democrats lead the American public in condemning blackface, a new, national HuffPost/YouGov poll finds, putting the Democratic politicians who have admitted to wearing it perilously out of step …

Discussion: FITSNews, New York Daily News, RT and The Daily Signal