Top Items:
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
New cracks emerge in Dem unity — House Democrats are showing more cracks in their united front just two months into the new Congress. — Leaders are scrambling to contain high-profile rifts between liberals and centrists on everything from the Green New Deal and “Medicare for all,” …
Discussion:
National Review, Townhall, Daily Wire, The Federalist, RedState, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Post, Breitbart, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Times, IJR, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon, Politico and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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Bret Stephens / New York Times:
Ilhan Omar Knows Exactly What She Is Doing — The Minnesota Democrat is bringing Corbynism to the Democratic Party. — There's an old joke about upper-class British anti-Semitism: It means someone who hates Jews more than is strictly necessary. Ilhan Omar, the freshman representative from Minnesota …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Religion News Service, Hot Air, Jihad Watch, RedState, American Greatness, New York Post, Washington Post and Breitbart
Rahm Emanuel / The Atlantic:
I've Faced the Charge of Dual Loyalty — I'm all for new voices in the U.S. Congress. But lately, some of those new voices have been voicing some very old canards. — I'm talking about Representative Ilhan Omar, one of the newly elected Democrats who populate the 116th Congress.
Discussion:
Townhall, Instapundit, Breitbart, CNN, middleeastmonitor.com, Splinter, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Washington Times
Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
Jim Clyburn's defense: Ilhan Omar's experience is ‘more personal’ than Jews who had parents in the Holocaust — As Democrats line up to defend Rep. Ilhan Omar and come up with her excuses for her anti-Semitism, House whip Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., tried to minimize he comments by arguing …
Discussion:
Politico, twitchy.com, RedState, Front Page Magazine and Conservative Review
Politico:
Omar uproar swamps Pelosi — The longtime Democratic leader is struggling to unite her warring factions. — With the fallout over Rep. Ilhan Omar's controversial comments paralyzing House Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi found herself on the floor Wednesday afternoon asking some of her closest allies what exactly she should do.
Discussion:
Hot Air, NBC News, Axios, JustOneMinute, New York Times, Talking Points Memo and Breitbart
Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
Nancy Pelosi's disgusting excuses for Ilhan Omar have thrown Jews under the bus
Nancy Pelosi's disgusting excuses for Ilhan Omar have thrown Jews under the bus
Discussion:
Spectator USA and twitchy.com
Alex Griswold / Washington Free Beacon:
Schakowsky (D) Defends Omar's Anti-Semitic Comments: ‘She Comes From a Different Culture’
Schakowsky (D) Defends Omar's Anti-Semitic Comments: ‘She Comes From a Different Culture’
Discussion:
The Hill
Melanie Zanona / Politico:
Dems look to move past Omar turmoil with speedy vote
Dems look to move past Omar turmoil with speedy vote
Discussion:
ABC News, C-SPAN.org, Roll Call, Axios, RedState, Power Line and Washington Free Beacon
Erin Banco / The Daily Beast:
Embassy Staffers Say Jared Kushner Shut Them Out of Saudi Meetings — When a member of the administration travels overseas, the embassy often helps coordinate the trip. Not when Jared Kushner meets his buddy MBS. — Officials and staffers in the U.S. embassy in Riyadh said they were not read …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Shakesville, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
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Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
John Kelly, Out of White House, Breaks With Trump Policies — The former White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, on Wednesday declined to answer questions about the existence of a memo he wrote saying that President Trump had ordered officials to give his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a security clearance in May 2018.
Carol E. Lee / NBC News:
John Kelly differs with Trump on immigration, mum on security clearances
John Kelly differs with Trump on immigration, mum on security clearances
Discussion:
Mediaite, Breitbart, New York Post, The Week, Splinter, The Daily Beast, Axios and Raw Story
Reid Standish / Foreign Policy:
U.S. Cancels Journalist's Award Over Her Criticism of Trump — Jessikka Aro was to receive a “Women of Courage” prize. Then officials read her Twitter feed. — Jessikka Aro, a Finnish investigative journalist, has faced down death threats and harassment over her work exposing Russia's …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Bloomberg:
Cohen Fires New Shot at Trump With Suit for Millions in Fees — Ex-Trump lawyer claims he's owed at least $3.8 million — Cohen says he appeared before Congress, Mueller for the firm — Michael Cohen sued the Trump Organization, claiming the president's family company stiffed …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Splinter and The Week
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Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
That Time Trump Got $18.3 Million in Palm Beach — Scrutiny of his business dealings is just the start of a long and possibly harrowing experience for the president and his entourage. — A series of hurricanes tore through Florida in 2005, and Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's business …
Discussion:
Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Hullabaloo and VICE News
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Michael Cohen suing Trump Organization for $1.9 million in legal fees
Michael Cohen suing Trump Organization for $1.9 million in legal fees
Discussion:
Politico and One America News Network
Bernard Condon / Associated Press:
Out of the shadows: Loyal money man swept into Trump probes
Vindicator:
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown will not run for president in 2020 — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown will not run for president in 2020. — Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, announced today that he has “decided the best place for me to continue fighting for Ohio and for the dignity of workers across the country …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
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Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed News:
Sherrod Brown Won't Run For President, After Months Of Planning For The 2020 Race
Washington Post:
Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat from Ohio, won't run for president
Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat from Ohio, won't run for president
Discussion:
Axios and LifeNews.com
Dylan Scott / Vox:
Sherrod Brown's plan to win back Trump-voting, working-class voters, explained
Sherrod Brown's plan to win back Trump-voting, working-class voters, explained
Discussion:
Politico
Sydney Ember / New York Times:
Sherrod Brown, Facing Crowded Democratic Field, Won't Run for President
Sherrod Brown, Facing Crowded Democratic Field, Won't Run for President
Discussion:
Townhall, The Daily Beast, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and IJR
New York Times:
Biden's 2020 Plan is Almost Complete. Democrats Are Impatient. — WASHINGTON — The pieces for a Joseph R. Biden Jr. presidential campaign are falling into place: His nucleus of advisers has begun offering campaign positions to seasoned Democratic strategists.
Discussion:
Townhall, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo
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Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
It's time — high time — to take Fox News's destructive role in America seriously — Chris Wallace is an exceptional interviewer, and Shepard Smith and Bret Baier are reality-based news anchors. — Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about the overall problem of Fox News …
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Axios:
The biggest political scandal in American history — Even without seeing Robert Mueller's report, or knowing what prosecutors with the Southern District of New York have unearthed, or what congressional investigators will find, we already have witnessed the biggest political scandal in American history.
Discussion:
Big League Politics, Hullabaloo, emptywheel and Raw Story
Fred Barbash / Washington Post:
Wilbur Ross broke law, violated Constitution in census decision, judge rules — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross acted in “bad faith,” broke several laws and violated the constitutional underpinning of representative democracy when he added a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Discussion:
East Bay Times and Political Wire
Wall Street Journal:
Martin Shkreli Steers His Company From Prison—With Contraband Cellphone — The disgraced pharmaceutical executive dubbed “Pharma Bro” remains the shadow power at the drug company that became a national lightning rod for jacking up the prices of rare drugs.
KNSD-TV:
Source: Leaked Documents Show the U.S. Government Tracking Journalists and Immigration Advocates Through a Secret Database — The documents detail an intelligence-gathering effort by the United States and Mexican authorities, targeting more than 50 people including journalists, an attorney, and immigration advocates
Discussion:
Vox, Techdirt, NBC News, Gabe Ortíz, Shareblue Media, VICE News, Common Dreams, Fortune, IJR, Shakesville, Times of San Diego, Mediaite, Townhall, Slate, Mother Jones, The Guardian, New York Post, Axios, Splinter and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »
Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
Why I am critic, not a NeverTrump absolutist — CNN commentator Matt Lewis recently observed the bitter fights breaking out on social media among conservatives who in an earlier era might have seen themselves as ideological allies. — “We are at the stage where the (last?) …
Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal:
Attorney Says Cohen Directed His Lawyer to Seek Trump Pardon, Contradicting Testimony — Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Trump, directed his attorney last spring to inquire about the possibility of a presidential pardon, weeks after federal agents raided his properties, Mr. Cohen's lawyer said Wednesday.
Discussion:
Vox, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Washington Times, Vanity Fair, CNBC, Townhall, Washington Post, twitchy.com, Splinter, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Axios and ABC News
The Hill:
Schultz recruiting GOP insiders ahead of possible 2020 bid — Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has recruited at least three veteran House Republican staffers and consultants to join his presidential campaign-in-waiting, bringing on seasoned and well-connected GOP operatives who know their way around …
Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
Trump Settles on His Reelection Message — In his marathon speech to a gathering of conservative activists last weekend, Donald Trump unloaded more than 16,000 words, according to the official White House transcript. — But amid all the meandering and asides, the belittling taunts …
Spencer Kornhaber / The Atlantic:
The Message in R. Kelly's Meltdown — Accused of dominating and manipulating dozens of women, R. Kelly defended himself on CBS This Morning by interrupting, talking over, and talking past Gayle King. When the reporter asked the singer whether he imprisoned women, he exploded, “I don't need to—why would I?”
Discussion:
CNN, Daily Wire, Queerty, Washington Post, CBS News, NB Blog, The Daily Caller, National Review and Entertainment Tonight
Sarah Lyall / New York Times:
Stacey Abrams, Star Trek Nerd, Is Traveling at Warp Speed — She has seen every iteration of “Star Trek” and can recite with picayune detail the obscure plot points from incidents buried deep in the canon. She likes space-time anomalies. She admires Captain Picard but reveres Admiral Janeway.
Discussion:
NB Blog