memeorandum: U.S. economy grew at a strong 2.9 percent rate in 2018, but missed Trump's goal (Heather Long/Washington Post)

1:10 PM ET, February 28, 2019

Top Items:

Peter Wehner / New York Times:

Republicans Sink Further Into Trump's Cesspool — What they left out of their questioning of Michael Cohen says more about the degradation of my former party than anything they said. — Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress on Wednesday revealed as much about the Republican Party …

Discussion: Vox, The Moderate Voice, The Hill, Daily Kos, Pirate's Cove, Raw Story, Washington Post, Townhall and Popular Information

Caroline Fredrickson / New York Times:

How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Won the Cohen Hearing — Too many representatives chose to bloviate instead of interrogate — except for one. — Ms. Fredrickson is the president of the American Constitution Society. — On Wednesday, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer and …

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

After Cohen's hearing, the BuzzFeed bombshell that Mueller disputed looks better — and worse — In mid-January, a BuzzFeed News report hit the news cycle like a mile-wide asteroid landing on Earth. — Its assertion was stunning: that President Trump had directed his fixer, Michael Cohen …

Discussion: Vox, ThinkProgress and Roll Call

Ken White / The Atlantic:

Republicans Committed the Classic Cross-Examination Blunder — Everyone involved in the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Wednesday needed a good lawyer. — Michael Cohen, the convicted felon, disbarred lawyer, and former fixer to Donald Trump, needed a trial lawyer to rein …

Discussion: USA Today, Raw Story and Hullabaloo

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

After Michael Cohen's testimony, The Trump Organization can expect a wave of renewed scrutiny — Near the end of Michael Cohen's testimony yesterday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked the former fixer whether President Trump had ever run an insurance fraud.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and twitchy.com

Lawfare:
The Cohen of Silence Breaks: What to Make of Wednesday's Testimony

Discussion: National Review, HuffPost and Variety

Marcy Wheeler / New York Times:
Did Cohen Give a Peek at the Mueller Report?

Discussion: Byline Times, The Daily Beast and ThinkProgress

Joyce White Vance / Washington Post:
Yes, Michael Cohen's a liar and a criminal. So how come you believed him?

Discussion: Althouse, NPR and Politico

NBC News:
Trump Org's Weisselberg not cooperating with feds, sources say

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, ThinkProgress and New York Times

Barbara McQuade / The Daily Beast:
The Case Against Trump Has Never Been Stronger After Cohen Testimony

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story

Keith Griffith / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: Gambino mob heir predicts Michael Cohen will get WHACKED in prison because ‘inmates love Trump and hate rats’

Discussion: Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit

Michael J. Stern / USA Today:
Michael Cohen testimony was a WWE body slam against Trump. Here's why it's credible.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Atlantic

Ginger Gibson / Reuters:
Exclusive: House panel seeks to depose Trump tax, ethics attorneys

Discussion: Daily Kos

Edward Wong / New York Times:

Trump's Talks With Kim Jong-un Collapse Over North Korean Sanctions — “Sometimes you have to walk,” President Trump said after he and North Korea's leader abruptly ended their meeting. — “They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas that we want, but we couldn't give …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Shareblue Media, TheBlaze, The Week, The American Conservative and USA Today

NBC News:

U.S. drops demand for full accounting of N. Korea nuclear program ahead of talks — Negotiators focus in on Yongbyon reactor, the “heart” of North Korea's nuclear program. — HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. negotiators are no longer demanding that North Korea agree to disclose a full accounting …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, Vox, The Resurgent, Daily Kos, Splinter, POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God., twitchy.com, Al Jazeera, Associated Press and NK News

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

‘Sometimes you have to walk’: Why Trump bailed on North Korea — HANOI - In the end, President Trump did the unexpected: He walked away. — A visibly deflated Trump began the press conference wrapping up his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by talking about anything else.

Discussion: Washington Post, Shareblue Media, Breitbart, One America News Network, Power Line, ABC News and New York Times

Washington Post:
Trump and Kim abruptly cut short summit after failing to reach nuclear deal

Discussion: Axios, Politico, Raw Story, Defense One, Breitbart, The Hill, Media Matters for America, The Atlantic, Shareblue Media, One America News Network, The Week, The Daily Beast, NPR, ABC News and Power Line

Washington Post:
‘Sometimes you have to walk’: Trump leaves summit empty-handed at tough point in presidency

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

New York Times:
Trump-Kim Summit Updates: ‘Sometimes You Have to Walk,’ Trump Says as Talks Collapse

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Reuters and Outside the Beltway

Associated Press:
Trump, Kim summit collapses amid failure to reach deal

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Young Conservatives, fox8.com and WQAD-TV

Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
The Three Problems with the North Korea Walk-Out

Discussion: Breitbart, USA Today and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

NBC News:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicted on bribe and fraud charges — The indictment marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime. — Israel's attorney general announced Thursday that his office had indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Discussion: BBC, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., Political Wire and The Resurgent

Raoul Wootliff / The Times of Israel:

Netanyahu to stand trial for bribery and breach of trust, pending hearing — AG's decision is legal bombshell ahead of April 9 elections, marks first time in Israel's history that serving PM is told he faces criminal charges; premier to speak at 8 p.m. — In a move that drastically shakes …

Discussion: CNN, Law & Crime and The Week

New York Times:
Prosecutor Moves to Indict Netanyahu on Corruption Charges

Discussion: The Times of Israel

Haaretz:
Netanyahu to Be Charged With Bribery Pending Hearing

Discussion: Vox, Townhall and Politico

Ian Austen / New York Times:
Trudeau's Ex-Attorney General: ‘Veiled Threats’ Were Made to Drop Case

Discussion: Globe and Mail

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:

Videos of Mark Meadows saying ‘send Obama home to Kenya’ resurface hours after he's accused of racist stunt — The most emotionally fraught moment during the Michael Cohen hearing had nothing directly to do with President Trump's former lawyer but was a tense exchange after one lawmaker accused another …

Discussion: Boing Boing and Contemptor

Chris Cillizza / CNN:
The winners and losers of Michael Cohen's House hearing

Discussion: Raw Story, CNBC and Townhall

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Tlaib: Lawmakers ‘gasped’ when Meadows brought up black Trump employee

Discussion: CNN, theGrio, Washington Post and POLITICUSUSA

Michael Tesler / Washington Post:
No, Mark Meadows. Having a black friend doesn't mean you're not racist.

Discussion: CNN and Townhall

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:

GOP nightmare as Alabama's Roy Moore signals he might run again — Roy Moore, a conservative lightening rod who cost the Republican party a Senate seat in deep-red Alabama, is signaling fresh interest in mounting another campaign in 2020, sparking alarm on the right that Democratic Sen. Doug Jones …

Discussion: IJR

Mike Allen / Axios:

Scoop: A new conservative media company — Jonah Goldberg is leaving National Review in the coming months to start a new conservative media company with Steve Hayes, who was editor-in-chief of The Weekly Standard when its owner shut it down in December. — Details: Goldberg and Hayes tell …

Discussion: Big League Politics and Splinter, more at Mediagazer »

Kyle Kondik / Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball:

The 2020 Electoral College: Our First Look — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — Our initial Electoral College ratings reflect a 2020 presidential election that starts as a Toss-up. — We start with 248 electoral votes at least leaning Republican, 244 at least leaning Democratic, and 46 votes in the Toss-up category.

Discussion: The Week

Kate Riga / Talking Points Memo:

LePage: Eliminating Electoral College Would Make Whites ‘A Forgotten People’ — Former Gov. Paul LePage (R) tore apart a bill currently in the Maine state legislature that proposes essentially eliminating the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote because it would only “be minorities that elect” the President.

Discussion: Beacon, The Week and Political Wire

Ronn Blitzer / Law & Crime:
Former GOP Governor: We Need Electoral College or Else ‘White People Will Not Have Anything to Say’

Discussion: Raw Story and Towleroad Gay News

John Harwood / CNBC:

Trump and GOP promised economic growth much better than Obama's. That's not what happened — Throughout the 2016 campaign and since, the president and his party have vowed to kick-start tepid Obama-era economic growth. — New government data show that Trump, too …

Discussion: U.S. Bureau …, Shareblue Media, Mother Jones and The Gateway Pundit

Axios:

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar says climate change isn't real because of photosynthesis — At a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday opposing the Green New Deal, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was asked by a young person what he is doing to address climate change. He responded:

Heather Long / Washington Post:

U.S. economy grew at a strong 2.9 percent rate in 2018, but missed Trump's goal — The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.9 percent pace last year, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, a strong rate but just shy of President Trump's goal of 3 percent. — Last year's growth marked …

Discussion: CNBC, IJR and Bloomberg