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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.
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National Enquirer's AMI Scrutinized Over Bezos Story, Sources Say — Federal prosecutors are reviewing the National Enquirer's handling of its story about Jeff Bezos' extramarital affair to determine if the company violated an earlier cooperation deal with prosecutors, according …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., Political Wire and Deadline


Ronan Farrow says he also received ‘blackmail’ threat over reporting on the National Enquirer and Trump — Ronan Farrow said Thursday that he and “at least one other prominent journalist” who had reported on the National Enquirer and President Trump received blackmail threats …
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Raw Story, The Week, Mediaite, Contemptor, Boing Boing, Vox, Hot Air, CNN, The Atlantic, New York Times, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo and POLITICUSUSA, more at Mediagazer »


National Enquirer publisher says it will investigate Bezos' allegations — New York (CNN Business)Jeff Bezos has told his side of the story. Now David Pecker is responding. — Pecker, the head of American Media Inc., controls the National Enquirer. In a blockbuster blog post titled …
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The Guardian, GeekWire, New York Times, Raw Story and Splinter


Jeff Bezos Takes on the National Enquirer and Trump — The scandal sheet that aided and abetted the president's ascent picked the wrong man to try to bully. — Jeff Bezos, the digital retail titan and media baron, took to the internet on Thursday evening to defend himself.
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New York Times, The Verge, Washington Post, The Guardian and The Week, more at Mediagazer »


Facing opposition, Amazon reconsiders NY headquarters site, two officials say — Amazon.com is reconsidering its plan to bring 25,000 jobs to a new campus in New York City following a wave of opposition from local politicians, according to two people familiar with the company's thinking.
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VentureBeat, Engadget, The Week, Joe.My.God., Curbed NY, abc7ny.com, GeekWire, Mediaite, CBS New York and WPIX 11 New York, more at Techmeme »


Ivanka Trump has ‘zero concern’ about special counsel investigation — Trump said she has no concerns about Robert Mueller's investigation. — 1h ago — Congressional negotiators closing in on border security deal — “Pretty close, but we're not closed,” the top negotiator said. — 1h ago
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The Daily Beast, CNN, Washington Post, Joe.My.God., The Week, Jezebel, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo
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Whitaker says he did not discuss Mueller investigation with Trump
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Splinter, Mediaite and The Daily Signal

Whitaker says he never interfered in Mueller probe
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IJR, The Gateway Pundit and The Week

Ivanka Trump: I have ‘zero concerns’ about Mueller probe
Discussion:
Washington Post


First on CNN: Kellyanne Conway describes for the first time alleged October 2018 assault — Washington (CNN)Kellyanne Conway says that she was grabbed and shaken by a woman while out with her teenage daughter in a Maryland restaurant late last year. — In an interview with CNN …
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RedState, Axios, DCist, The Hill, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, Townhall, IJR, Splinter, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Daily Wire, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and The Week
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Kellyanne Conway says she was ‘assaulted’ in Maryland restaurant
Discussion:
Chicks On The Right and Breitbart


‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years — SANTA TERESA DE CAJON, COSTA RICA — At his home on the misty slope of Costa Rica's tallest mountain, Dario Angulo keeps a set of photographs from the years …
Discussion:
Axios, Politico, Spectator USA, Law & Crime, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and America's Voice


Democrats Are Boosting Trump's Re-election Prospects — Their top 2020 presidential hopefuls are embracing socialist-minded economic policy, from a Green New Deal to single-payer health insurance. It's playing right into the president's hands. — ADD TO BRIEFCASE — See more stories about...
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The American Conservative
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Trump's lifeline: Democrats' socialism surge — Democrats are flirting with socialism in ways they carefully and clearly ran away from in the past, handing President Trump a new way to unify Republicans — and to club his opponents. — It started with Democrats sitting silently as he railed …
Discussion:
Politico and The Daily Caller


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 …
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Don't Forget About Trump's Judicial Nominees. Another 44 Just Moved Forward.
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Common Dreams, ThinkProgress and courthousenews.com


Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing - new book — Deputy attorney general privately complained about Trump's order, according to Comey's former deputy Andrew McCabe — The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, privately complained that he was ordered …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Shakesville, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Mediaite


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 …
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Bloomberg, Politico, Washington Post, IJR, Michigan Advance, Associated Press, Mediaite, Axios, KTLA, FOX40, KDFW, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, The Atlantic, The Week, Raw Story and Balloon Juice


The Socialist That Could — Meet Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the secret Republican weapon for 2020.
Discussion:
Axios, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog and Conservative News Today
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Aims to Eliminate Air Travel
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Splinter, Instapundit, twitchy.com and Daily Wire


Trump is first modern president to hire his customers - including as US ambassadors — WASHINGTON - When President Donald Trump needed an ambassador to represent the United States in Romania, he enlisted a real estate lawyer who was a member of one of his private golf clubs.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo


Saudi Arabia Sought Vice's Help to Build a Media Empire — Saudi Arabia is seeking to build an international media empire to combat the kingdom's rivals and remake its image in the West, and sought a partnership with Vice Media as part of the project, according to people familiar with the efforts.
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Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi
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CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, VICE News, Al Jazeera, Just Security, Splinter, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite


New Trump Probe Looks a Lot Like a RICO Investigation — The crimes reportedly under investigation—money laundering, fraud, conspiracy—could amount to a criminal enterprise. That's how my team of prosecutors put away Detroit's mayor. — Referring to a cooperator as a “rat,” President Trump sometimes sounds like a mob boss.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and Raw Story


Rising Star Matt Gaetz Represents Everything That's Wrong With Trump's Republican Party — Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images — Joaquin Oliver, nicknamed ‘Guac,’ was only 17 years old when he was gunned down at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida …
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Business Insider, HuffPost and USA Today


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 …
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Vox, Talking Points Memo, Splinter, New York Times, POLITICUSUSA and The Root
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Days After Its Disastrous British Launch, Turning Point Has Already Lost One Of Its Star Recruits — “There was a sense of people realising, ‘Who are these cranks?’” — They were here to start a culture war, and Charlie Kirk was looking forward to the backlash.
Discussion:
Mediaite


Inside Ralph Northam's plot for survival — RICHMOND, Va. — Ralph Northam might just hang on to his job. — Left for dead a week ago after his disastrous handling of his history with blackface, the Democratic Virginia governor is quietly plotting a survival strategy.
Discussion:
Washington Post, NTK Network and Talking Points Memo


Bloomberg to announce 2020 decision by end of month — ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday that he'll decide by the end of the month whether to seek the presidency. — The 76-year-old businessman, one of the richest men in the world …


Trump Shows Flexibility on Wall as Border Deal Comes into View — WASHINGTON — Faced with limited options and a looming deadline to prevent another government shutdown, President Trump is showing new flexibility on a border-security deal that would fall well short of his once-firm demand …
Discussion:
Political Wire


Republicans Got Us Into This Mess, and They Have to Get Us Out of It — The idea sounds crazy — until suddenly it doesn't. — Mr. Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Mr. Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Discussion:
Raw Story

Can a Journalist as Important as Jill Abramson Be a Plagiarist? — The Worst Thing We Read Yesterday™ — Last night, Michael C. Moynihan of Vice tweeted a series of examples of Jill Abramson, formerly an executive editor of the New York Times, plagiarizing other writers' work in her new book …
Discussion:
NPR, CNN, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, RedState and Eschaton, more at Mediagazer »


Trump campaign paid legal fees to firm representing Jared Kushner — The president's son-in-law's estimated net worth is more than $300 million. — 16m ago — 31m ago — Play