Top Items:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
A Strategy for the Mideast That Has Even Trump's Allies Scratching Their Heads — Conflicting statements, crossed signals and mixed messages have left the president and his top officials scrambling to explain his mission and goals after the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani.
Discussion:
Politico, Columbia Journalism Review, Financial Times and Brookings, more at Mediagazer »
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Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Trump is a war president now — DRIVING THE DAY — WITH A RAIN OF BALLISTIC MISSILES at Iraq's Ain al-Asad and Irbil air bases, President DONALD TRUMP became a wartime leader at the dawn of an election year, and the contours of his ever-changing presidency have again shifted.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Politico and TheStreet
Washington Post:
Amid confusion and contradictions, Trump White House stumbles in initial public response to Soleimani's killing
Amid confusion and contradictions, Trump White House stumbles in initial public response to Soleimani's killing
Discussion:
Townhall, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, Daily Kos, Letters from an American, Associated Press, Politico, The Hill and Daily Mail
New York Times:
Pompeo Upended Middle East by Pushing Trump to Kill Iranian General
Pompeo Upended Middle East by Pushing Trump to Kill Iranian General
Discussion:
The Week and Foreign Policy
New York Times:
Live Updates: Ayatollah Calls Iran Missile Strikes a ‘Slap in the Face’ to the U.S.
Live Updates: Ayatollah Calls Iran Missile Strikes a ‘Slap in the Face’ to the U.S.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Federalist, Talking Points Memo, KTLA, CNN, Vox and Althouse
Andrea Mitchell / NBC News:
Defending Trump has made Pompeo the most powerful secretary of state in decades
Defending Trump has made Pompeo the most powerful secretary of state in decades
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The Week and Q13 FOX News
ABC News:
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq, Pentagon confirms — Officials said there have been no reports of American casualties at this time. — Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq on Tuesday evening, targeting U.S. military sites in what appeared to be retaliation …
Discussion:
Redstate, Townhall, Slate, NBC News, UPI, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, HuffPost, The Week, Foreign Policy, The Daily Signal, Common Dreams, CANNONFIRE, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Root and Raw Story
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Washington Post:
After days of dire threats, Trump's tone shifts in the wake of Iran's retaliation — The Debrief: An occasional series offering reporters' insights — For five straight days, President Trump warned, sometimes in all-caps, that he would retaliate against any Iranian attack on U.S. forces.
Washington Post:
Live updates: More than a dozen missiles hit U.S. bases in Iraq; Iran claims they caused heavy casualties — Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq early Wednesday local time, marking the most significant Iranian attack in a growing conflict with the United States.
Discussion:
CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, Vox and New York Times
Josh Lederman / NBC News:
Iran leaves Trump an off-ramp, but will he take it?
Iran leaves Trump an off-ramp, but will he take it?
Discussion:
The Hill, One America News Network and Politico
Frank Miles / Fox News:
Iran launches ‘more than a dozen’ missiles into Iraq targeting US, coalition forces, Pentagon says
Iran launches ‘more than a dozen’ missiles into Iraq targeting US, coalition forces, Pentagon says
Burgess Everett / Politico:
McConnell's win on impeachment trial procedure was months in the making — Chuck Schumer demanded Tuesday morning that Republicans allow witnesses to testify during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. But Mitch McConnell already knew he had the votes to roll over his adversary.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bangor Daily News, Raw Story, The Hill and Daily Kos
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Dear Colleague on Senator McConnell's Untrue Claims Regarding Impeachment — In December, the House upheld its constitutional duty to defend democracy For The People, honoring our Founders' vision for a Republic. Soon, the Senate will have the opportunity to honor its oath to …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, CNN, UPI and Associated Press
Washington Post:
Pelosi says impeachment articles won't go to Senate until she learns more about how trial would be conducted
Pelosi says impeachment articles won't go to Senate until she learns more about how trial would be conducted
Discussion:
The Federalist, Slate, Balkinization, Power Line, The Hill, Daily Kos, Breitbart, The Week, New York Times, Townhall, Twitchy, Balloon Juice, National Review and Althouse
Sarah Ferris / Politico:
Pelosi shows no movement on articles of impeachment
Pelosi shows no movement on articles of impeachment
Discussion:
Breitbart, New York Times, The Hill, UPI and Axios
Matt Smith / WISN:
Trump's Republican challengers won't appear on Wisconsin primary ballot — HIDE TRANSCRIPT SHOW TRANSCRIPT — Wisconsin Republicans and Democrats solidified Tuesday who will appear on the state's April primary ballot. — And already two Republican candidates are fuming.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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James Wigderson / RightWisconsin:
Wisconsin GOP Cowards
Declan Garvey / The Dispatch Fact Check:
Are Democratic Leaders and Presidential Candidates ‘Mourning’ Qassem Suleimani's Death? — Joining Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Monday night, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley discussed the response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani, saying that …
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John Daniel Davidson / The Federalist:
By Pandering To The Left, Democrats Are Repeating The Mistakes Of 2016
By Pandering To The Left, Democrats Are Repeating The Mistakes Of 2016
Discussion:
In These Times, The Independent and Jacobin
Associated Press:
Ukrainian airplane crashes near Iran's capital, killing 176 — SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.
Discussion:
Townhall, The American Independent, Patterico's Pontifications, The Week, Mediaite and Reuters
Kyle Blaine / CNN:
CNN announces moderators for Iowa Democratic debate — 10 of 11 Iowa voters picked this Democrat after debate — (CNN)The seventh Democratic presidential debate will be moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip as well as The Des Moines Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel next week, the network announced on Wednesday.
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Politico:
Bloomberg under fire for skirting the debate stage — His rivals accuse him of running an imperial campaign, but the billionaire businessman says he's sticking to his principle of not accepting donations. — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.
Discussion:
Althouse
Sacramento Bee:
U.S. contractor killed in Iraq, which led to strike on Iranian general, buried in Sacramento — The Iraqi-American contractor who was killed in a rocket attack in Iraq in late December was buried in Sacramento on Saturday. His death was the start of a chain of events that U.S. leaders …
Discussion:
The Week, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller
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Aaron Davis / Washington Post:
Contractor whose death Trump cited was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Iraq
Contractor whose death Trump cited was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Iraq
Discussion:
CBS Sacramento
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Progressives play whack-a-Joe with Biden — Many activist groups expected the former veep to crumble by now. — Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigns in Independence, Iowa. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images — The progressive movement is kicking off 2020 with a full-scale …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Week, IJR and Morning Consult
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Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed News:
Joe Biden's New Plan To Win Iowa Voters: Gun Control
Joe Biden's New Plan To Win Iowa Voters: Gun Control
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
As potential conflict looms, some pundits suggest reporting skeptical of the administration is unpatriotic. It's not the first time. — Pete Hegseth is dubious about the news media's loyalty and patriotism. Hegseth, a decorated military veteran and weekend co-host of President Trump's favorite program …
Lauren Artino / WXIX-TV:
CNN settles lawsuit with Nick Sandmann — COVINGTON, Ky. (FOX19) - CNN agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann. — The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington, Kentucky.
Discussion:
The Federalist, Mediaite, VICE, Cincinnati.com, The Daily Wire, Power Line, American Greatness, CNN, HillReporter.com, Redstate, The Gateway Pundit, Big League Politics, Fox News, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, LifeNews.com, PJ Media Home, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill, Townhall, New York Post, Twitchy, The Daily Caller and The Post Millennial, more at Mediagazer »
Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:
Robert Caro's Papers Headed to New-York Historical Society — After decades of dogged (and still-unfinished) efforts to chronicle every detail about Lyndon B. Johnson, the master biographer's vast paper trail finds a permanent home. — Robert Caro is famous for colossal biographies of colossal figures.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Ktrk / ABC13:
Gov. Greg Abbott reports rise in cyber-attacks from Iran — AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — Governor Greg Abbott is warning all Texans to be “vigilant” regarding cyber-attacks from Iran. — While addressing the Domestic Terrorism Task Force on Tuesday, which formed after the deadly El Paso shooting last year …
Discussion:
Townhall
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Tessa Weinberg / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Texas facing 10,000 potential cybersecurity attacks from Iran per minute, Abbott says
Texas facing 10,000 potential cybersecurity attacks from Iran per minute, Abbott says
Discussion:
PJ Media Home
Walter Olson / National Review:
Progressive Governments' Economic War on the NRA Fails in Court — In California and New York, efforts to target the gun-rights group's business relationships are failing on First Amendment grounds. — Some politicos just can't stop grandstanding, even if it means their court case goes down in flames.
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Marc Freeman / Sun-Sentinel:
Judge denies release of Jeffrey Epstein's grand jury records … A judge Tuesday rebuffed criminal investigators looking at sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's cushy treatment by South Florida authorities over a dozen years ago. — It happened when special prosecutors appointed by the governor came …
Discussion:
National Review
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Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
Trump Administration Quietly Goes After Disability Benefits — A proposed regulation would add a new layer of scrutiny to disability claims. — Some Americans could lose Social Security Disability Insurance benefits under a recent Trump administration proposal ― …
Discussion:
The Hill
The Daily Beast:
Rudy Giuliani Calls Former Iranian Terrorists ‘My People’ — MEK-linked groups paid Rudy Giuliani to get them off the U.S. list of terrorist groups. Now, Rudy is bringing their anti-Tehran message straight to Trump. — As President Trump grappled with how to respond to Iran throughout the last year …
Discussion:
Supporters of MEK Iran and The American Conservative