Top Items:
Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
The stakes have never been higher. Here's who I plan to vote for in April's Dem primary — I believe in my political independence, but I also believe in fate. In 2016, declaring the stakes were just too damn high, I ended nearly three decades as a registered independent to become a Democrat …
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Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Says Bernie Sanders Sent Volunteers ‘Out to Trash Me’ — In a sign that their good will may be evaporating, Ms. Warren said she was “disappointed” the Sanders campaign had used a volunteer call script suggesting she appealed mainly to highly educated voters.
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, Talking Points Memo, HillReporter.com, Twitchy, CNN, Associated Press and PJ Media Home
NBC News:
Warren ‘disappointed’ that Sanders reportedly ‘sending his volunteers out to trash me’
Warren ‘disappointed’ that Sanders reportedly ‘sending his volunteers out to trash me’
Discussion:
Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Axios, The Hill and Politico
Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
McCarthy says Pelosi holding articles of impeachment to hurt Sanders' Iowa chances
McCarthy says Pelosi holding articles of impeachment to hurt Sanders' Iowa chances
Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Warren, in rare Sanders rebuke, hits fellow 2020 Dem over his leaked campaign messaging
Warren, in rare Sanders rebuke, hits fellow 2020 Dem over his leaked campaign messaging
Discussion:
CNN and Washington Post
Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Local New Hampshire Union Backs Bernie Sanders, Bucking National Affiliate
Local New Hampshire Union Backs Bernie Sanders, Bucking National Affiliate
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
New York Times:
Esper Says He Saw No Evidence Iran Targeted 4 Embassies, as Story Shifts Again — The disparity between the defense secretary and President Trump added another twist to an ever-evolving explanation for a strike on an Iranian general that led to the brink of war.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and HillReporter.com
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Robert Burns / Associated Press:
Esper: US does not expect more Iranian retaliatory attacks
Esper: US does not expect more Iranian retaliatory attacks
Discussion:
Raw Story
Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Esper says he “didn't see” specific evidence showing Iranian threat to 4 U.S. embassies
Esper says he “didn't see” specific evidence showing Iranian threat to 4 U.S. embassies
Discussion:
Slate, POLITICUSUSA, CNN, UPI and Daily Kos
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Esper said he 'didn't see' intelligence backing up Trump claim Iran was preparing to attack 4 embassies
Esper said he 'didn't see' intelligence backing up Trump claim Iran was preparing to attack 4 embassies
Discussion:
The Hill, Breitbart, One America News Network, Daily Kos, Raw Story, New York Post and Mother Jones
Hayley Miller / HuffPost:
Mark Esper: I 'Didn't See' Specific Evidence Of Iran Threat To 4 U.S. Embassies
Mark Esper: I 'Didn't See' Specific Evidence Of Iran Threat To 4 U.S. Embassies
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios and Contemptor
ABC News:
Pelosi does not rule out possibility of subpoenaing testimony if Senate skips witnesses — “Let's just see what the Senate does,” she said on ABC's “This Week.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of a House subpoena for testimony from former national …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Law & Crime, HuffPost, Townhall, Fox News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week, The Hill, IJR, Breitbart and Mediaite
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William Cummings / USA Today:
Pelosi warns McConnell, Senate Republicans they will ‘pay a price’ if they engage in ‘cover-up’
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Pelosi: Americans want ‘fair trial’ on Trump impeachment
Pelosi: Americans want ‘fair trial’ on Trump impeachment
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill and ABC News
Jason Lange / Reuters:
'I'm spending all my money to get rid of Trump': Michael Bloomberg — SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg told Reuters he is ready to spend much of his vast fortune to oust Republican President Donald Trump from the White House in 2020 …
Discussion:
Redstate, The Hill, Breitbart, Axios and New York Times
Dana Goldstein / New York Times:
Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories. — TWO STATES. EIGHT TEXTBOOKS. TWO AMERICAN STORIES. — American history textbooks can differ across the country, in ways that are shaded by partisan politics. … We analyzed some of the most popular social studies textbooks used in California and Texas.
Discussion:
Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog and Mother Jones
Jeremy Berke / Business Insider:
Jeff Bezos announces Amazon is donating $690,000 to help the country recover from the devastating brushfires — Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the tech company will donate $1 million Australian dollars to help Australia recover from the fires.
Washington Post:
Killing of Soleimani reflects an aggressive national security team not inclined to curb Trump — President Trump has from his earliest days in office raised the possibility of killing Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the powerful Iranian military commander who died this month in a U.S. military drone strike.
Axios:
Trump may reduce troops in Afghanistan without Taliban deal — White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told Axios in an exclusive interview that “it is possible” Trump will cut a deal with the Taliban this year but that even if a deal can't be struck, the president is still poised to reduce troops in Afghanistan.
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Adia Robinson / ABC News:
'We're not going to cut and run': National security adviser on embassy threats
'We're not going to cut and run': National security adviser on embassy threats
Discussion:
One America News Network, The Daily Beast, The Week, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Vox, New York Post, Axios, Task & Purpose and Breitbart
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Hillary Clinton: The most exonerated politician ever — Hillary Clinton has a unique distinction: She has been exonerated twice after extensive federal investigations, the latest entirely unjustified and the result of a politicized Justice Department. President Trump of course was NOT exonerated …
Axios:
Exclusive: Trump tells Kim Jong-un he wants to resume talks — White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien tells Axios that the Trump administration has “reached out to the North Koreans” to ask them to resume diplomacy that has been all but dead since October.
Discussion:
CNN, CNBC, Raw Story, New York Times and NBC News
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
Trump attacks former DOJ official appointed to review the FBI's proposed wiretap reforms — Taking a cue from a GOP ally, President Trump on Sunday attacked a former senior Justice Department official appointed by a federal judge to review the FBI's proposed wiretap application reforms …
Kendall Karson / ABC News:
Majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran, feel less safe after strike: POLL — The results come from a new ABC News/Ipsos poll. — In a week dominated by increased tension with Iran and speculation over when impeachment articles would be delivered to the U.S. Senate …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Twitchy, The Independent, The Hill, JONATHAN TURLEY, Axios and Slate
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Rob Picheta / CNN:
This playboy tortoise had so much sex he saved his entire species. Now he's going home — (CNN)A womanizing tortoise whose rampant sex life may have single-handedly saved his entire species from extinction has retired from his playboy lifestyle, returning to the wild with his mission accomplished.
Hannah Natanson / Washington Post:
Public schools in Virginia can censor student journalists any time, for any reason. A proposed law would change that. — Kate Karstens knew she'd nailed the story when the Yale-bound son of a school board member confessed to skipping class more than two dozen times — without consequences.
Vasco Cotovio / CNN:
Iran's sole female Olympic medalist says she's defected — (CNN)Iran's sole female Olympic medalist, Kimia Alizadeh, has announced that she's permanently left her country for Europe. — “Let me start with a greeting, a farewell or condolences,” the 21-year-old wrote in an Instagram post explaining why she was defecting.
Discussion:
UPI
Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times:
Can Amy Klobuchar pull off a surprise in Iowa's presidential caucuses? — Amy Klobuchar, campaigning across Iowa in the first days of the New Year, told voters about a text a friend sent her after a surge in polls and fundraising. — “It had autocorrected by mistake …