Top Items:
William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
New York Charges Paul Manafort With 16 Crimes. If He's Convicted, Trump Can't Pardon Him. — [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] — Paul J. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, has been charged in New York with mortgage fraud …
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Bailey Stonecipher / Manhattan District …:
District Attorney Vance Announces Indictment of Paul Manafort — Manhattan Grand Jury Charges Manafort with Residential Mortgage Fraud, Other New York State Crimes, Amid D.A. Investigation Commenced in March 2017 — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. today announced the indictment …
Discussion:
Byline Times, Shareblue Media, Mother Jones, Vox, The Gateway Pundit and Axios
Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
The Wacky Tale of Paul Manafort, Anne Hathaway's Fraudster Ex-Boyfriend, and a Vatican Land Scam
The Wacky Tale of Paul Manafort, Anne Hathaway's Fraudster Ex-Boyfriend, and a Vatican Land Scam
Discussion:
Raw Story
Condé Nast / Vanity Fair:
Riding around with Beto O'Rourke as he comes to grips with a presidential run. — It's nine P.M. on a Thursday night and Beto O'Rourke is trying to manage a couple of life-altering and possibly world-historical political events while also driving his family home from a Mexican restaurant.
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Political Wire, twitchy.com and Mediaite
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KTSM-TV:
Beto O'Rourke is running for President in 2020, KTSM confirms — EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - Beto O'Rourke is running for President of the United States. — The former El Paso Congressman will make the announcement on Thursday morning, but he confirmed via text to KTSM Wednesday afternoon that he is seeking the Democratic nomination.
CNN:
Exclusive: Lawyer said Michael Cohen could ‘sleep well tonight’ after speaking to Rudy Giuliani — Washington (CNN)An attorney who said he was speaking with President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani reassured Michael Cohen in an April 2018 email that Cohen could “sleep well tonight” …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, The Week, Axios, Daily Kos, Raw Story, New York Post and Hullabaloo
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Michael Cohen Has Email Showing Trump Obstructed Justice by Dangling Pardon — Michael Cohen has testified that President Trump directed him to lie to Congress about Trump's business dealings with Russia during the campaign. The weakness of the accusation is that Cohen does not seem to have any proof …
Discussion:
Political Wire, CNN and Mediaite
New York Times:
Prosecutors Seek Records on Cohen's ‘Back Channel’ With Giuliani — Before he pleaded guilty and began assisting federal prosecutors last summer, Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's former fixer, spoke with a lawyer who agreed to reach out to the president's legal team on his behalf.
Discussion:
Just Security
New York Times:
Facebook's Data Deals Are Under Criminal Investigation — Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into data deals Facebook struck with some of the world's largest technology companies, intensifying scrutiny of the social media giant's business practices as it seeks to rebound from a year of scandal and setbacks.
David Wasserman / New York Times:
Trump May Have an Unlikely Re-election Ally — The Democratic Party's crowded field and messy rules could lead to months of infighting and an ugly convention. — Mr. Wasserman is the House editor at The Cook Political Report. — Donald Trump's low approval ratings have attracted a crush …
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Chiara Sottile / NBC News:
Twitter reveals big changes to conversations and new camera features — The changes are meant to make good on the company's promise to promote “healthy conversation.” — Twitter is teasing some of the biggest changes to its social media service since it first launched in 2006 …
Discussion:
Fortune, Consequence of Sound, NB Blog, The Daily Caller, Engadget, The Mary Sue, The Wrap, twitchy.com, TechCrunch and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
TMZ.com:
Lori Loughlin's Daughter Olivia Leaves Yacht of USC's Board of Trustees Chairman — As Lori Loughlin traveled from Vancouver to L.A. Tuesday night to surrender to federal authorities in the college bribery scandal — which got her daughter, Olivia Jade, into USC — Olivia spent the night …
New York Times:
Inside the Shadowy, Totally Legal World of High-Priced College Consultants — For prices up to $1.5 million, parents can buy a five-year, full-service package of college admissions consulting from a company in New York City called Ivy Coach. — The service begins as early as eighth grade …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Washington Free Beacon, Patterico's Pontifications, The Atlantic, Vox and Joanne Jacobs
New York Times:
Boeing 737 Max Flights Banned by U.S. After Other Countries Ground Planes — President Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States was grounding Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, reversing an earlier decision by American regulators to keep the jets flying after a second deadly crash in Ethiopia.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, RedState, faa.gov, NPR, Hit & Run, Breitbart and The Mahablog
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Emily Stewart / Vox:
“The planes are grounded”: Trump takes action on Boeing 737 Max planes
“The planes are grounded”: Trump takes action on Boeing 737 Max planes
Discussion:
VICE News, The Seattle Times and The Daily Beast
Ashley Turner / CNBC:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she has ‘zero’ sympathy for parents caught in college admissions scam — Sen. Elizabeth Warren told MSNBC that she has “zero” sympathy for the dozens of parents charged in what the Justice Department says is the biggest college admissions scandal it's ever prosecuted.
Discussion:
National Review, Washington Examiner, Daily Wire, KTVU-TV, Facebook, Fox News, Sports Illustrated, Louder With Crowder, New York Times, TaxProf Blog, Education Dive and IJR
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Whitaker ‘did not deny’ talking to Trump about Cohen, personnel at SDNY, top Democrat says — The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that former acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker “did not deny” that President Trump “called him to discuss the case” …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune
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Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
House Judiciary Dem, Republican clash over details of Whitaker testimony
House Judiciary Dem, Republican clash over details of Whitaker testimony
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Beast and Daily Kos
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
Fox News Contributor Salaries Revealed In Financial Disclosures — At least 10 members of the Trump administration have served as on-air contributors for the network. — Across cable news, the salaries paid to on-air contributors remain shrouded in mystery, ranging by network and by market demand for the contributor's expertise.
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Rainesford Stauffer / New York Times:
I Learned in College That Admission Has Always Been for Sale — The bribery scandal is no more abhorrent than the completely legal industry that helps many wealthy kids get into the schools of their dreams. — Ms. Stauffer is a writer. — Shortly after my freshman year of college …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Raw Story, The Cut, Althouse and JustOneMinute
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Tyler Cowen / Bloomberg:
The College Admissions Scandal Is About More Than Just Bribery
The College Admissions Scandal Is About More Than Just Bribery
Discussion:
New York Post and Vox
David French / National Review:
The Astonishing Hypocrisy of Media Matters — If there's one thing we can absolutely count on in our post-ethical partisan era, it's that for every scandal, there is, in short order, a similar — sometimes astoundingly similar — scandal on the other side. Sometimes, the comparisons …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Daily Caller, Townhall, Louder With Crowder and RedState
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Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
Jacob Wohl Faked Death Threats Against Himself — One came from a phony account the wingnut provocateur created and ran just before he was banned from Twitter. … Right-wing personality Jacob Wohl appears to have faked death threats against himself. — Wohl and fellow provocateur Laura Loomer went …
Discussion:
Daily Wire, Contemptor, Raw Story and New York Post
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
GOP megadonor Mercer family donated to nonprofit conservative group that focuses on historic values of ‘English-speaking peoples’ — The Republican megadonor family led by billionaire Robert and daughter Rebekah Mercer once donated to the Anglosphere Society, a group of conservative activists that promotes …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Lee, fifth GOP senator, to vote against Trump's border declaration — GOP Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) says he will vote for a resolution disapproving of President Trump's national emergency declaration on the southern border, becoming the fifth Senate Republican to announce his support for the measure.
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, Washington Post, The Week, Shareblue Media, IJR and TheBlaze
Shayna Jacobs / New York Daily News:
Rudy Giuliani and wife Judith Nathan ripped by judge for making divorce trial ‘unpleasant’ — It's getting ugly. — A Manhattan divorce judge said Wednesday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his estranged wife Judith Nathan are headed toward a bitter matrimonial trial.
Scott Bixby / The Daily Beast:
Georgetown Rich Kid ‘Gloated’ After Allegedly Cheating SATs — Isabelle Henriquez is one of the only students accused of willingly participating in the fraud—and now her degree may be in jeopardy. — Scott Bixby — According to her LinkedIn page, Isabelle Henriquez is “a rapid learner” …
Discussion:
DCist, RedState, New York Post, Washingtonian, Raw Story and Politico
Sara Carter / Sara A. Carter:
Lynch Testimony Reveals Bias and Intent For Failing To Give Trump Defensive Briefing — President Donald Trump's campaign was never given a defensive briefing by the FBI, despite mounting concerns that Russians were allegedly trying to penetrate the campaign during the 2016 presidential election.
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Senate rebukes Trump with vote ordering U.S. military to end support for Saudi-led war in Yemen — The Senate voted Wednesday to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, its latest rebuke of the Trump administration's continued embrace of the Saudi regime despite growing …
Matt Levine / Bloomberg:
You Have to Pay the Right Person — Also SSG and pattern matching. — Matt Levine is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance. He was an editor of Dealbreaker, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz …
Discussion:
New York Times
Caitlin Yilek / Washington Examiner:
Clinton email server administrator getting deposed — The first of several former Obama administration officials and former aides to Hillary Clinton is set to be deposed Thursday after a judge ruled in January that they must answer questions under oath about the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks and the Clinton email scandal.
United States Senator Mike Lee:
Sen. Lee Introduces ARTICLE ONE Act to Reclaim Congressional Power — WASHINGTON - Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the ARTICLE ONE Act today, a bill that would take back significant legislative powers given to the executive branch by the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
Discussion:
CNN, Breitbart, Politico, Hit & Run, The Daily Signal, Vox, CNBC, Daily Kos, NBC News, National Review, New York Times and The Hill