Top Items:
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Beto O'Rourke Raised $6.1 Million Online in First 24 Hours of Campaign — WASHINGTON — Beto O'Rourke raised more than $6 million online in the first 24 hours after announcing his presidential campaign last week, according to his campaign, outpacing his rivals for the Democratic nomination …
Discussion:
Axios
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Molly Hensley-Clancy / BuzzFeed News:
Twitter's Insiders Are Skeptical About Beto O'Rourke. Iowans Don't Seem To Care. — MT. VERNON, IOWA — Sydney Holland had heard pundits say that Beto O'Rourke was inexperienced and a policy lightweight, without specific answers on immigration or health care. She'd seen people claiming he might not be a real progressive.
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Other 2020 Dems begin sharpening criticism of Beto O'Rourke
Other 2020 Dems begin sharpening criticism of Beto O'Rourke
Discussion:
Axios
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
RNC links ‘noted Irishman’ Beto O'Rourke's heritage to 1998 DWI arrest
RNC links ‘noted Irishman’ Beto O'Rourke's heritage to 1998 DWI arrest
Discussion:
The Week, POLITICUSUSA and The Right Scoop
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
Ta-Nehisi Coates Is an Optimist Now A conversation about race and 2020. — In recent days, as Democrats debated the definition of “reparations,” Joe Biden rationalized his opposition to integration, and socialist congresswomen started demanding the rebirth of a nation, inquiring minds wanted to know: What would Ta-Nehisi say?
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Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites 2020 Democrats
Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites 2020 Democrats
Discussion:
ACLU
New York Times:
Saudi Crown Prince's Brutal Drive to Crush Dissenters Began Before Khashoggi — WASHINGTON — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia authorized a secret campaign to silence dissenters — which included the surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
Exclusive: 7 U.S. Military Members Identified As Part Of White Nationalist Group — Leaked chat logs revealed active military servicemen with ties to the extremist group Identity Evropa. — Leaked chat logs have connected seven current members of the U.S. armed forces to a white nationalist group …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Inside Rudy's vanishing act — Rudy Giuliani has vanished from your television. The last time the president's once-ubiquitous attack dog did a major TV appearance was on Sunday, Jan. 20, when he went on NBC's “Meet the Press” and CNN's “State of the Union.”
Discussion:
The Week, Raw Story, Law & Crime and Mediaite
Ilhan Omar / Washington Post:
We must apply our universal values to all nations. Only then will we achieve peace. — Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, represents Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. — Since I began my first term in Congress, I have sought to speak openly and honestly about the scale of the issues …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Washington Post:
Trump was the face of the 737 probe — Several days after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed outside Ethiopia's capital city, the Trump administration's senior air safety official was still defending the plane. — Acting Federal Aviation Administration chief Daniel K. Elwell …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Power Line and The Week
Laura Strickler / NBC News:
Ben Carson's schedule shows Friday trips to Florida, lunch with My Pillow founder — For 5 Fridays out of 31, Carson was off or had no appointments. For 5 more he left before 2 p.m. to fly to South Florida, where he owns a mansion. — WASHINGTON — Ben Carson's daily schedule from 2017 shows …
ProPublica:
Federal Authorities Raided Trump Fundraiser's Office in Money Laundering Probe — Federal authorities raided the office of Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy last summer, seeking records related to his dealings with foreign officials and Trump administration associates, according to a sealed search warrant obtained by ProPublica.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Associated Press:
Warren embraces underdog role as she faces 2020 challenges — BOSTON (AP) — Elizabeth Warren has spent much of the last decade as a leader of the Democratic Party's liberal wing. — But three and a half months into her presidential campaign, the Massachusetts senator is facing tough questions …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Martin Lederman / Washington Post:
Why there may be much less — and much more — to the Mueller report than people expect — This piece has been updated. — Martin Lederman teaches constitutional law at the Georgetown University Law Center and has twice served in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.
Washington Post:
Age of victim in prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, long a source of confusion, eased his obligations to register as a sex offender — A federal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein had flagged scores of potential underage victims, including the 14-year-old girl who first alerted police.
Discussion:
The Week
Washington Post:
'I haven't abandoned my principles': Hogan, pondering challenge to Trump, casts himself as a traditional Republican — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan acknowledges that many Republicans nationwide who have heard about his potential presidential ambitions probably view him as a centrist with little hope …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Brynn Anderson / Post and Courier:
SC sheriffs fly first class, bully employees and line their pockets with taxpayer money — South Carolina sheriffs have embezzled, bribed and dipped into public funds for expensive chauffeurs. They've driven drunk and bullied other public officials. They've been accused of leveraging …
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
Trade Fight With China Enters Overtime, With Tariffs a Costly Sticking Point — WASHINGTON — The United States and China are pushing for a summit meeting in late April to complete a trade deal, while negotiators are still grappling over its terms and how they should be enforced.
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New York Times:
Hungary Rolls Out Red Carpet for Obscure Russian Bank, Stoking Spy Fears — BUDAPEST — The International Investment Bank, an obscure Russian financial institution with a small-time balance sheet, is an unlikely source of global intrigue. In more normal times, its plans to open a new headquarters in Budapest would pass unnoticed.
Marc Caputo / Politico:
‘Middle-Class Joe’ rakes in millions — “Middle-Class Joe” Biden has a $2.7 million vacation home. He charges more than $100,000 per speaking gig and has inked a book deal likely worth seven figures. — Since leaving office in 2017, the 76-year-old former vice president has watched …
CNN:
If Biden runs, he should commit to just one term — David Gergen has been a White House adviser to four presidents and is a senior political analyst at CNN. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a professor of public service and was the founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
‘Weak’ Lindsey Graham destroyed for staying silent about Trump's ugly attacks on his friend John McCain (Updated) — President Donald Trump has spent two days attacking the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) but there has not been a peep of defense coming from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Big League Politics, Bloomberg and New York Post
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Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Trump again takes aim at John McCain over dossier, prompting rebuke from Meghan McCain
Trump again takes aim at John McCain over dossier, prompting rebuke from Meghan McCain
Discussion:
The Week, Spectator USA, National Review, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Splinter, Daily Wire and Joe.My.God.