Top Items:
Joanna Piacenza / Morning Consult:
Can You Locate Iran? Few Voters Can. — A 47% plurality support the airstrike that killed Soleimani — Morning Consult Illustration by Vladimir Gorshkov — As tensions between the United States and Iran rise in the aftermath of the American drone strike that killed the country's …
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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:
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, PJ Media Home, One America News Network and Politico
Washington Post:
After days of dire threats, Trump's tone shifts in the wake of Iran's retaliation
After days of dire threats, Trump's tone shifts in the wake of Iran's retaliation
Discussion:
The Hill
ABC News:
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq, Pentagon confirms
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq, Pentagon confirms
Discussion:
New York Times, Redstate, Fox News, Defense One, UPI, Slate, Townhall, Breitbart, HuffPost, NPR, Foreign Policy, No More Mister Nice Blog, Common Dreams, CANNONFIRE, The Root and Raw Story
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
Discussion:
Townhall, Washington Examiner, Jerusalem Post, The Federalist, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, Reuters, Daily Mail, PJ Media Home, The Economic Collapse, Task & Purpose and Reason
Public Policy Polling:
Democratic Unity Will Determine Trump's Fate — Over the last couple weeks PPP did polls testing the leading Democratic contenders for President against Donald Trump in both Arizona and Iowa. — On the surface the numbers are decent but not amazing for Democrats. Donald Trump won Arizona by 4 points in 2016.
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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.
Discussion:
The Hill
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
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, The Nation, 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
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:
Jerusalem Post, Reuters, Redstate, The Hill, BBC, The Guardian, Townhall, Breitbart, Reason, Fox News, The American Independent, Patterico's Pontifications, The Week and Mediaite
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David Martosko / Daily Mail:
Was the Ukrainian jet brought down by an Iranian missile …
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:
Townhall, The Federalist, Washington Post, The Hill, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, Blue Delaware, Balkinization, Slate, Power Line, Daily Kos, Breitbart, The Week and Balloon Juice
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Dear Colleague on Senator McConnell's Untrue Claims Regarding Impeachment
Dear Colleague on Senator McConnell's Untrue Claims Regarding Impeachment
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, UPI, Associated Press, ABC News, C-SPAN.org and Politico
CNN:
McConnell on impeachment: ‘There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure’
McConnell on impeachment: ‘There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure’
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Political Wire
CNN:
Some administration officials believe Iran intentionally missed areas with Americans — Washington (CNN)There is a growing belief among some Trump administration officials that Iran's missiles intentionally missed areas populated by Americans when they targeted two Iraqi bases housing US …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Raw Story, Power Line, NBC News, KTLA, East Idaho News, HillReporter.com, The American Spectator, fox8.com and Vox
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USA Today:
President Donald Trump addresses nation after Iran's attack - latest updates — David Jackson John Fritze Courtney SubramanianUSA TODAY — WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is addressing the nation from the Grand Foyer at White House just hours after Iran rained more than a dozen rockets …
New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Set to Address the Nation After Iran Missile Strikes — U.S. and Iraqi officials said there were no deaths from the attacks on bases housing American troops. But Iranian news outlets claimed differently, with some reporting dozens killed.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, The Federalist, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, IJR, Patterico's Pontifications, KTLA and Althouse
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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:
The Smoke Eater, Daily Kos, The Week and Q13 FOX News
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post
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, Task & Purpose 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:
The Week and CBS Sacramento
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
A popular theory for Trump's popularity among Republicans appears to be wrong — It is not the case, despite President Trump's regular assertions, that his approval rating among Republicans is a consistent 95 percent. While that figure appears regularly in the president's Twitter feed …
Discussion:
Gallup
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Bloomberg to join Abrams' voting rights summit on Friday in Atlanta — White House hopeful Mike Bloomberg will take part in a voting rights summit in Atlanta on Friday organized by the group Stacey Abrams launched after her 2018 campaign for governor. — The former New York mayor …
Discussion:
Axios
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The media should spotlight a different kind of war expert: Those who voted ‘no’ on Iraq — There she was: Judith Miller, the former New York Times reporter most closely identified with the paper's flawed reporting in the run-up to the Iraq War, chattering away on Fox News.
Jonah Goldberg / The Dispatch:
The Right's Bullsh*t Problem — Unless you're very, very, new to political debates, you're probably familiar with the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. — My favorite practitioner of it is the Twitter account of the Socialist Party of the United Kingdom. Somewhat like Beto O'Rourke's short-lived …
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 …
Discussion:
Hillman Foundation
Malachi Barrett / MLive.com:
John James out-raising incumbent Democrat in high-profile Senate race — John James, the likely Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, started the new year by announcing he's gathered more donations than his incumbent Democratic opponent for the second consecutive fundraising quarter.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Maya Earls / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Texts telling people they've just been drafted into the Army are fake, officials say — The U.S. Army is warning about fake text messages saying people have been selected for the military draft. — In a statement Tuesday, the Army said that several people around the country …
Discussion:
ABC13
Luis Andres Henao / Associated Press:
Stabbings, shootings, assaults weigh on US Jewish youth — NEW YORK (AP) — When a man spewed anti-Semitic slurs and spat on her face, Shoshana Blum remembered her ancestors who survived the Holocaust, and instead of looking down - she defiantly stared at him eye to eye.
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
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump, Who Actually Loves Dictators, Smears Democrats As Iran Lovers — The Iran conflict has placed President Trump in a heretofore novel position of outflanking his domestic foes as a hawk. Having previously cast himself as a deal-maker or isolationist, Trump now occupies …
Discussion:
Politico and Power Line
James Wigderson / RightWisconsin:
Wisconsin GOP Cowards — Republicans on Tuesday effectively blocked access to the ballot for potential primary challengers to President Donald Trump. It's a bizarre, cowardly twist in the history of Wisconsin presidential primaries. — The Republican members of the Presidential Preference …
Wall Street Journal:
Iran Threatens Further Retaliation After Missile Strikes Against U.S. — Hours after Iran fired at U.S. forces in Iraq, Ayatollah Khamenei stops short of promising more military action — TEHRAN—Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed further retaliation for the U.S.'s targeted killing …
Discussion:
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