Top Items:
Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:
The Trump-era realignment is a death sentence for the GOP — Gov. Matt Bevin's loss should send a message to embattled Republicans in Trump Country: President Trump is not going to save you if you're drowning. — Republicans' loss of both chambers of Virginia's legislature should send …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Julia Terruso / Inquirer.com:
The blue wave crashes down on Pennsylvania again, as voters from Philly to Delaware County turn left — The political forces that shaped last year's midterm elections showed no signs of abating Tuesday, as voters turned on Republicans and establishment Democrats alike in races from Philadelphia …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Politico, New York Daily News, Indianapolis Star, Talking Points Memo, The Mary Sue, abc7NY, VICE, Taylor Marsh, Alternet.org, Shareblue Media, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, CBS Philly and Raw Story
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
What GOP spin about last night's losses says about Trump's weakness — Is Trump's America on the defensive? — The question arises in the wake of two big Democratic wins on Tuesday night — Andy Beshear's apparent ousting of Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, and the Democratic takeover of state government in Virginia.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, NBC News, Townhall, Roll Call, CNN and The Mahablog
Caitlin Oprysko / Politico:
Poll: Majority expect Trump to win in 2020
Poll: Majority expect Trump to win in 2020
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Louder With Crowder, Common Dreams, National Review, IJR, The Hill and Breitbart
Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Kentucky outcome embarrasses Trump and worries many Republicans ahead of 2020
Kentucky outcome embarrasses Trump and worries many Republicans ahead of 2020
Discussion:
New York Times, Lexington Herald-Leader, Fox News, Vox, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, The Hill, The Root, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Inside Elections, Vanity Fair, Daily Kos, Conservative Review, HuffPost, Outside the Beltway, RISING with Krystal Ball …, Breitbart, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CNN and The Week
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Last Night Wasn't Great for Republicans
Last Night Wasn't Great for Republicans
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Washington Times and Redstate
Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:
Support for Impeachment Falls as Inquiry Moves to New Phase
Support for Impeachment Falls as Inquiry Moves to New Phase
Discussion:
Redstate, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, The Hill and Washington Times
Alexandra DeSanctis / National Review:
State Elections Aren't All about Trump
State Elections Aren't All about Trump
Discussion:
New Jersey Online and American Prospect
Phillip M. Bailey / Courier-Journal:
Senate president: Kentucky governor's race could be decided by state legislature — Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers threw another wrench into the state's razor-thin gubernatorial outcome late Tuesday night, saying that the legislature could decide the race.
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Joe Sonka / Courier-Journal:
A Bevin-Beshear recount? These are the possible next steps under Kentucky election law — To cap off one of the wildest finishes to a gubernatorial election in Kentucky history, Democratic candidate Andy Beshear declared victory to supporters Tuesday night, moments after Republican incumbent …
Discussion:
Politico, Roll Call, Lexington Herald-Leader, Fox News, National Conference …, The Week, FiveThirtyEight and Political Wire
Joe Sonka / Courier-Journal:
Gov. Matt Bevin campaign requests election recanvass
Gov. Matt Bevin campaign requests election recanvass
Discussion:
NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Political Wire and ABC News
WKYT-TV:
Libertarian Party says it's happy to cause ‘delicious tears from Bevin supporters’
Libertarian Party says it's happy to cause ‘delicious tears from Bevin supporters’
Discussion:
Fortune and Political Wire
David Frum / The Atlantic:
The Kentucky Governor's Race Is a Warning to Republicans
The Kentucky Governor's Race Is a Warning to Republicans
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and CBS News
Leada Gore / al.com:
Alabama SGA warns groups: Protest Trump during LSU game, risk losing reserved seating — The Student Government Association at the University of Alabama is warning groups that protesting President Trump during the Tide's Saturday game vs. LSU could result in loss of reserved seating for the remainder of the season.
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, CollegeFootballTalk, Political Wire, The Hill, IJR, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Tim O'Donnell / The Week:
Lindsey Graham claims Trump is too incompetent to pull off a quid pro quo — Well, it wasn't the most flattering defense. — While Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has said it's actually becoming easier to defend President Trump amid the congressional impeachment inquiry, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had to dig deep to do so on Wednesday.
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CNN:
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon expected to testify against Roger Stone — Washington (CNN)Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is expected to testify against Roger Stone in his trial for lying to Congress, federal prosecutors said in court Wednesday.
Timothy Johnson / Media Matters for America:
Alex Jones is trying to out the identity of a potential Roger Stone trial juror with the help of Stone's assistant
Alex Jones is trying to out the identity of a potential Roger Stone trial juror with the help of Stone's assistant
Discussion:
One America News Network, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post and Politico
Washington Post:
Prosecutor says Roger Stone lied ‘because the truth looked bad for Donald Trump’
Prosecutor says Roger Stone lied ‘because the truth looked bad for Donald Trump’
Discussion:
The Week
Eli Okun / Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: Impeachment is about to get its TV moment
POLITICO Playbook PM: Impeachment is about to get its TV moment
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, The Hill and Raw Story
Julia Davis / The Daily Beast:
Thanks to Rand Paul, Russian Media Are Naming the Alleged Whistleblower — Outing “the whistleblower” is the most egregious, but certainly not the only, example of Kremlin-funded media cheerleading the fight against impeachment. They love “their” Trump. — Standing beside an approving Donald Trump …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Alternet.org, VICE, Raw Story, The Week and Washington Post
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Sam Dorman / Fox News:
CIA staff complained about Obama White House's political correctness, new book claims — A new book claims that top CIA employees have compared President Trump favorably to his predecessor, indicating that former President Barack Obama's administration micromanaged intelligence matters and was too concerned with political correctness.
Discussion:
Contemptor, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, Alternet.org and Mediaite
Darren Sands / BuzzFeed News:
Ayanna Pressley Broke With “The Squad” To Endorse Elizabeth Warren For President — “I'm proud to call her my senator. I can't wait to call her our president,” Pressley said in a video. — Reporting From — Washington, DC — WASHINGTON — Rep. Ayanna Pressley is endorsing …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Breitbart and The Hill
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Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Ayanna Pressley Endorses Elizabeth Warren for President
Ayanna Pressley Endorses Elizabeth Warren for President
Discussion:
Vox, The Federalist, ABC News, National Review, Mother Jones, HuffPost, Axios and Common Dreams
CNN:
Pompeo has lost confidence at State amid impeachment probe — Ex-Pompeo adviser contradicts former boss under oath — Washington (CNN)Revelations that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was unwilling to defend career State Department officials under political attack have damaged his standing within …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Where is Mike Pompeo? He's hiding in fear of Donald Trump.
Where is Mike Pompeo? He's hiding in fear of Donald Trump.
Discussion:
MSNBC, The American Conservative and The Daily Beast
Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
AP sources: State Dept. worried about defending ambassador
AP sources: State Dept. worried about defending ambassador
Discussion:
Washington Post, Florida Politics, The Guardian, Daily Kos, The Hill, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo and NBC News
Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:
White House Expected to Bolster Impeachment Strategy With Two New Hires — Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Treasury spokesman Tony Sayegh set to join White House as impeachment aides — WASHINGTON—President Trump is expected to add two new aides to the White House dedicated …
Discussion:
Axios
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Yeganeh Torbati / ProPublica:
How Mike Pence's Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups — Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions. When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Friendly Atheist and LGBTQ Nation
Jaweed Kaleem / Los Angeles Times:
U.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence — The roadside killings of nine U.S. citizens in northern Mexico has brought renewed attention to the scattered communities of Mormons who settled in the country more than a century ago to escape persecution.
Discussion:
Townhall, USA Today, New York Times, Louder With Crowder and Redstate
CNN:
Fox News brass to network hosts and personalities: Do not identify the whistleblower — New York (CNN Business)Fox News hosts and personalities have been instructed over the last several days not to identify the whistleblower whose complaint sparked an impeachment probe against President Trump …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Political Wire, Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Macagnone / Roll Call:
Most Republicans on impeachment committees aren't showing up, transcripts reveal — Republicans have for weeks blasted the closed-door impeachment process, but transcripts released this week of private depositions show most GOP lawmakers on the three panels at the center of the probe have simply not shown up.
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Justin Sayers / Arizona Daily Star:
Tucson voters overwhelmingly strike down ‘sanctuary city’ proposal — From the 2019 election results: Regina Romero becomes Tucson's first Latina mayor, ‘Sanctuary city’ initiative rejected series — Tucson voters overwhelmingly opted against the “sanctuary city” initiative …
Discussion:
KGUN-TV, tucson.com, Townhall, The Daily Caller, National Review, Conservative Review, Twitchy and Associated Press
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
PA Swing Voters Tell CNN They Would Still Vote For Trump If He Shot Someone: 'You'd Have to Know Why He Shot Him' — CNN New Day featured on Wednesday a panel of women identified as Pennsylvania swing voters, moderated by anchor Alisyn Camerota — and two had a jaw-dropping answer when asked …
Yasmeen Abutaleb / Washington Post:
Trump's ‘conscience rule’ for health providers blocked by federal judge — A federal judge on Wednesday voided the Trump administration's “conscience rule” that would have allowed health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions, sterilizations or other procedures they disagree with on religious or moral grounds.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story
The Hill:
Sessions inches closer to announcing Alabama Senate bid — Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce plans to run for his former Senate seat before Friday, two sources told The Hill. — A source who is in regular contact with Sessions said Wednesday there is …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Big League Politics and Political Wire
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
DNC Pulls Democratic Debate From UCLA Because Of Union Boycott — AFSCME 3299 has a labor dispute with the school, and Democrats don't want to be on the wrong side of unions. — The Democratic National Committee says it will no longer hold the fifth presidential debate at the University of California …
Discussion:
Politico, Breitbart, Daily Bruin and The Hill
Aaron Klein / Breitbart:
Alleged ‘Whistleblower’ Eric Ciaramella Worked Closely with Anti-Trump Dossier Hoaxer — Eric Ciaramella, whom Real Clear Investigations suggests is the likely so-called whistleblower, was part of an Obama administration email chain celebrating the eventual signing of a $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee to Ukraine.
Discussion:
Washington Times, Agence France-Presse, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Common Dreams