Top Items:
Greg Farrell / Bloomberg:
New York Has Prepared Paul Manafort Charges If Trump Pardons Him — Cy Vance has been investigating ex-Trump aide since 2017 — District Attorney sees way to avoid double jeopardy protection — New York state prosecutors have put together a criminal case against Paul Manafort …
Discussion:
CNN, Law & Crime, Axios, Gothamist, The Week, Shareblue Media, One America News Network, The Gateway Pundit, KTLA, Splinter, Daily Kos, Hill Reporter, Raw Story and Political Wire
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William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
Manafort Is Expected to Face Charges in New York, Even if Trump Pardons Him — [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] — The Manhattan district attorney's office is preparing state criminal charges against Paul J. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, CNBC and Joe.My.God.
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The slowly written Mueller report that's sitting in plain sight — President Trump has benefited enormously from the frog-in-hot-water nature of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation into his campaign and possible overlap with Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Mueller could tell all in last major court filing in Paul Manafort's case — Washington (CNN)Friday may be the day that special counsel Robert Mueller tells all in the long-running court saga of Paul Manafort's prosecution. — Mueller's sentencing memorandum is due to a federal judge in DC District Court before midnight Friday.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Chicago Sun-Times:
R. Kelly charged in Cook County with aggravated criminal sexual abuse — Embattled R&B superstar R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County Friday morning, records show. — His first court date is listed as March 8, according to records.
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, TMZ.com, The Daily Beast, Okayplayer, fox8.com, The FADER, One America News Network, AOL and VICE News
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Jamie McCarthy / WPTV:
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged as a ‘john’ in human trafficking/prostitution investigation — JUPITER, Fla. — In his Tuesday news conference about a major human trafficking investigation , Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said about 100 men would be arrested.
Discussion:
TCPalm.com, The Big Lead, ProFootballTalk, CNBC, WTVR-TV, Hot Air, Mediaite, TMZ.com, myfox8.com, Joe.My.God. and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Audience of One: Why Flattery Works in Trump's Foreign Policy — When the commander of U.S. forces in Europe, General Curtis Scaparrotti, met privately with members of Congress at the Munich Security Conference, last weekend, Senator Lindsey Graham finished the meeting with a blunt question.
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Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump steps back from the brink of disaster in Syria — On Thursday evening, President Trump suddenly changed his Syria policy, for the better. The president's decision to leave at least 200 U.S. troops there is the first sign that a post-caliphate strategy is emerging to make sure …
Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:
You Give Apps Sensitive Personal Information. Then They Tell Facebook. — Wall Street Journal testing reveals how the social-media giant collects a wide range of private data from developers; ‘This is a big mess’ — Millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps …
Discussion:
Engadget and Slashdot, more at Techmeme »
Deadline:
Jussie Smollett Dropped From Remainder Of 'Empire's Season By Producers — One day after Jussie Smollett was arrested on multiple felony charges for the alleged racist and homophobic attack of last month, the producers of Empire have cut the actor from the rest of the show's fifth season
Discussion:
TMZ.com, Hot Air, Raw Story, twitchy.com and The New Civil Rights Movement
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Dahleen Glanton / Chicago Tribune:
Column: Sorry, bigots, but I'm not sorry for once trusting Jussie Smollett
Column: Sorry, bigots, but I'm not sorry for once trusting Jussie Smollett
Discussion:
The Resurgent, The Script and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Trump aides worry he'll get outfoxed in North Korea talks — President Donald Trump is eagerly anticipating his second summit with Kim Jong Un, touting his “really meaningful” relationship with the North Korean strongman and insisting he's ready to give up his nuclear arsenal.
Discussion:
One America News Network, Observer, Shareblue Media and Talking Points Memo
CNN:
Donald Trump's plan for 2020 Democrats: Cause chaos and sow division — Washington (CNN)One presidential candidate is following the Democratic primary fight far closer than you might imagine. His name is Donald J. Trump. — Inside the White House, the President is watching announcement rallies …
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Brian Beutler / Crooked Media:
The Democrats' Grand Delusion
The Democrats' Grand Delusion
Discussion:
Washington Post and Hot Air
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Naming and Shaming the Pro-Trump Elite — Charlie Sykes is sitting behind a desk in a sparse, disheveled office—blank walls lined with empty filing cabinets, windows covered with crooked blinds—as he tries to conjure the perfect metaphor for The Bulwark, the anti-Donald Trump conservative news site he recently helped start.
Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
House Dems introduce measure to revoke Trump border edict — WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Friday introduced a resolution to block the national emergency declaration that President Donald Trump issued to fund his long-sought wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
Discussion:
Shakesville
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Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Netanyahu's Most Cynical Ploy Yet — By allying himself with one of Israel's most despicable parties, the prime minister is jeopardizing his legacy. — Most Americans have probably never heard of Yifat Ehrlich, or for that matter her former center-right political party in Israel, Bayit Yehudit.
David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
For the second time in two days, a building called Trump Place decides to take down the president's name — On Election Day 2016, six residential buildings called Trump Place stood in a row on Manhattan's Upper West Side — a legacy of Donald Trump's efforts to develop that site and a sign …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and POLITICUSUSA
J. David Goodman / New York Times:
Sex in New York City Parks? It's Less of a Thing Than It Used to Be — A decade ago, New York City police officers handed out hundreds of tickets for “sex in park.” Last year, they wrote six. — In a wild, overrun corner of Fort Tryon Park, a secluded area had become a popular destination …
Sasha Issenberg / Politico:
Here's What Beto Could Unleash on Trump — AUSTIN, Texas—With rain hammering outside, Zack Malitz stood in a warehouse space lit by strands of bistro lights and began to reveal the campaign strategy of Beto O'Rourke in exacting detail. Malitz, who was the field director of O'Rourke's Senate campaign …
Julia Arciga / The Daily Beast:
Ex-Fox News Quack Doctor Keith Ablow Accused of Sexually Exploiting Patients — The infamous TV huckster allegedly lured multiple female patients into sexual relationships, according to lawsuits, before engaging in physically abusive behavior. — A former member of Fox News' “Medical A-Team” …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., BostonGlobe.com, PinkNews, Raw Story and CBS Boston
Ariana Eunjung Cha / Washington Post:
Trump administration bars clinics that provide abortions or abortion referrals from federal funding — Planned Parenthood, which stands to lose $60 million a year, calls on courts, Congress to block the rule. — The Trump administration issued a rule Friday barring groups that provide abortions …
Marc Caputo / Politico:
‘He is not going to be the nominee’: Dems slam Sanders over Maduro stance — Florida Democrats are denouncing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for refusing to call Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro a dictator — a politically explosive issue in the nation's biggest swing state.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Resurgent, RedState, The Daily Caller, One America News Network, BBC, Crooked Media, Slate, Daily Wire, Splinter, Axios, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, New York Times and Mediaite
Washington Post:
Two dead after Venezuelan soldiers open fire on opposition supporters — SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela — Venezuelan soldiers opened fire on a group of civilians attempting to keep open a segment of the southern border with Brazil for deliveries of humanitarian aid, causing multiple injuries …
Discussion:
TheBlaze and One America News Network
Adam B. Schiff / Washington Post:
An open letter to my Republican colleagues — Adam B. Schiff, a Democrat, represents California's 28th Congressional District in the House and is chairman of the Intelligence Committee. — This is a moment of great peril for our democracy. Our country is deeply divided.
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Joe.My.God., POLITICUSUSA and Shakesville
Ryan Mac / BuzzFeed News:
Mark Zuckerberg Promised A Clear History Tool Almost A Year Ago. Where Is It? — Facebook spent most of 2018 embroiled in one scandal or another. But there was a point early on in the year when Mark Zuckerberg thought he could turn down the heat by offering a fix for the public's privacy concerns.
A.J. Katz / TVNewser:
PBS NewsHour Continues to Expand Its Team by Naming New Foreign Affairs Producer — Some notable revolving door news to report this morning: PBS NewsHour has named Ali Rogin the nightly news broadcast's newest foreign affairs producer. — “I am delighted to welcome Ali to the NewsHour …
Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Jim Risch tries to calm Republicans furious with Trump — Sen. Jim Risch was on the verge of facing down an insurgency from his GOP colleagues. — Top Senate Republicans were fuming at the Trump administration last week for ignoring congressional demands to further investigate the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Nicholas Pugliese / CourierPostOnline.com:
Bill would keep Trump off 2020 NJ ballot unless he releases his tax returns — In his first press conference after the midterms, President Trump repeated his claim that he cannot release his tax returns even with Democrats controlling the House. Here's why. — CONNECT11 — TWEET11 — COMMENT11
Discussion:
NJ Spotlight, The Hill, Law & Crime, Patterico's Pontifications, Observer, Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Pfizer executive Sally Susman to host 2020 presidential fundraiser for Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand — Presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand is slated to attend a fundraiser at the home of Sally Susman, a top Pfizer executive, on March 31, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Discussion:
The Guardian and Splinter
Morgan Cook / sandiegouniontribune.com:
Rep. Duncan Hunter gets help with legal expenses from government contractors, others — Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and his wife and former campaign manager, Margaret appear in this file photograph. — Nine donors, including at least two who had already reached political contribution limits …
Discussion:
Roll Call
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Schiffting to Phase 2 of Collusion — Conspiracy theorists look for something new, anticipating a Mueller letdown. — There's been no more reliable regurgitator of fantastical Trump-Russia collusion theories than Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff. So when the House Intelligence Committee chairman sits …
Walker Davis / CREW:
Roger Stone-Linked Group, Under Scrutiny From Mueller, Filed Missing Tax Return, Added Vendor — New tax documents obtained by CREW shed light on the finances of a dark money group tied to longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, who was indicted last month on felony charges in Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation.
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Trump Job Approval 50% or Higher in 17 States in 2018 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump's job approval rating varied widely across the U.S. states in 2018, with 17 states giving him ratings of 50% or higher, and 16 states giving him ratings below 40%.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
John M. Donnelly / Roll Call:
Congress could block big chunk of Trump's emergency wall money — Full funds likely to be unavailable from the sources president has identified — A reporter's homage to government workers — unsung heroes of transparency Trump Ignites New Budget Fights by Targeting Pentagon Programs Inhofe open to ‘exaggerated’ war budget
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, POLITICUSUSA, Contemptor, Daily Kos, TheBlaze and Raw Story