Top Items:
Jeff Bezos:
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:
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Bloomberg:
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
Allyson Chiu / Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Week, Mediaite, Contemptor, Boing Boing, Vox, Hot Air, The Atlantic, CNN, New York Times, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo and POLITICUSUSA, more at Mediagazer »
Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
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.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Verge, The Guardian, The Week and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »
Brian Stelter / CNN:
National Enquirer publisher says it will investigate Bezos' allegations
National Enquirer publisher says it will investigate Bezos' allegations
Discussion:
The Guardian, GeekWire, New York Times, Raw Story and Splinter
Washington Post:
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.
Discussion:
WTVR-TV, VentureBeat, Engadget, The Week, Joe.My.God., Curbed NY, abc7ny.com, GeekWire, Mediaite, CBS New York and WPIX 11 New York, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
‘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, No More Mister Nice Blog, Spectator USA, Law & Crime, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and America's Voice
CNN:
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 …
Discussion:
RedState, Axios, DCist, The Hill, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, IJR, The Guardian, Splinter, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Daily Wire, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and The Week
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Caitlin Oprysko / Politico:
Kellyanne Conway says she was ‘assaulted’ in Maryland restaurant
Kellyanne Conway says she was ‘assaulted’ in Maryland restaurant
Discussion:
Chicks On The Right and Breitbart
ABC News:
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
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, The Daily Beast, CNN, Joe.My.God., The Week, Jezebel, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo
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Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Whitaker says he never interfered in Mueller probe
Whitaker says he never interfered in Mueller probe
Discussion:
ABC News, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, The Week and The Daily Beast
Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
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...
Discussion:
The American Conservative
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Adam Liptak / New York Times:
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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Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Don't Forget About Trump's Judicial Nominees. Another 44 Just Moved Forward.
Don't Forget About Trump's Judicial Nominees. Another 44 Just Moved Forward.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, ThinkProgress and courthousenews.com
New York Times:
Vanessa Tyson Draws Support for Assault Allegation Against Justin Fairfax — Last fall, after Vanessa C. Tyson began a prestigious fellowship at Stanford, she told a gathering of colleagues in a behavioral sciences program that she had been sexually assaulted years earlier …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Daily Beast and Contemptor
Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
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, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, The Week and Mediaite
Melissa Nann Burke / Detroit News:
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:
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
Brad Heath / USA Today:
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
Wall Street Journal:
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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Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi
Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, VICE News, Al Jazeera, Just Security, Splinter, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite
Barbara McQuade / The Daily Beast:
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
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
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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Mehdi Hasan / The Intercept:
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 …
Discussion:
Business Insider, HuffPost and USA Today
CNN:
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:
Vox, Talking Points Memo, Splinter, New York Times, POLITICUSUSA and The Root
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Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
White House report tries to shift Trump health care rhetoric
New York Times:
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
BuzzFeed:
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
Maggie Severns / Politico:
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
ABC News:
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
Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
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 …
New York Times:
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
BBC:
Albert Finney: British actor dies aged 82 — Oscar-nominated British actor Albert Finney has died aged 82 after a short illness. — He was a five-time Oscar nominee who began his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company before making his mark in film. — His big film break came as …
Discussion:
alicublog, Joe.My.God., WTKR-TV, fox5sandiego.com, The Week and NRC
ABC News:
Ivanka Trump says she and Kushner got no special treatment for security clearances — Both White House advisers had temporary security clearances for over a year. — 1h ago — Border arrests up 85 percent over same time last year: Customs and Border Protection