Top Items:
Pete Williams / NBC News:
‘Faithless elector’: Supreme Court will hear case that could change how presidents are chosen — A ruling could come in the spring — just as the 2020 presidential race is heating up. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up an issue that could change a key element …
Discussion:
Associated Press and The Hill
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Joe Otterson / Variety:
Hillary Clinton Urges Dems to ‘Vote for the Person Most Likely to Win’ in 2020 — Hillary Clinton called for Americans to come to grips with “basic facts” of reality in an appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Friday. — “We've got to somehow understand …
Susannah Luthi / Politico:
Supreme Court will again review Obamacare birth control mandate — The Supreme Court on Friday said it will revisit whether employers must guarantee free birth control coverage for their workers. — It marks the third high court review of the contraception mandate stemming from Obamacare …
Discussion:
NBC News, Associated Press and Axios
Denise Lavoie / Associated Press:
Virginia urges justices to uphold weapons ban at gun rally
Virginia urges justices to uphold weapons ban at gun rally
Discussion:
NBC News, Axios, The Hill and globalnews.ca
Washington Post:
'You're a bunch of dopes and babies': Inside Trump's stunning tirade against generals — There is no more sacred room for military officers than 2E924 of the Pentagon, a windowless and secure vault where the Joint Chiefs of Staff meet regularly to wrestle with classified matters.
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Laura Reiley / Washington Post:
USDA proposes changing school menus to allow more fries and fewer vegetables, reversing a Michelle Obama effort — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken another whack at former first lady Michelle Obama's signature achievement: Establishing stricter nutritional standards for school breakfasts and lunches.
Discussion:
Mother Jones and POLITICUSUSA
RELATED:
Lola Fadulu / New York Times:
Trump Targets Michelle Obama's School Nutrition Guidelines on Her Birthday — The Agriculture Department proposed a rule that would further unravel nutrition standards set by Mrs. Obama when she was first lady. — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved on Friday to roll …
Discussion:
UPI
Alicia Cohn / The Hill:
Trump to roll back Michelle Obama's school lunch rules on vegetables, fruits
Trump to roll back Michelle Obama's school lunch rules on vegetables, fruits
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian and Raw Story
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Alan Dershowitz Distances Himself From Trump Legal Team: 'I'm Not a Full-Fledged Member' — Alan Dershowitz clarified his role on President Donald Trump's legal defense team in an interview with Mediate founder Dan Abrams Friday, stating he is NOT a “full fledged” member of the impeachment defense.
Discussion:
Law & Crime, The American Independent and Breitbart
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Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump's defense will be led by a ‘lunatic,’ ‘wacko’ and ‘off his rocker’ Ken Starr, according to Trump himself
Trump's defense will be led by a ‘lunatic,’ ‘wacko’ and ‘off his rocker’ Ken Starr, according to Trump himself
Discussion:
Raw Story
Washington Post:
Impeachment trial live updates: Trump expands legal team to include Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr and others
Impeachment trial live updates: Trump expands legal team to include Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr and others
Politico:
Trump finally gets his TV-ready lawyers — thanks to impeachment
Trump finally gets his TV-ready lawyers — thanks to impeachment
Discussion:
New York Times, Raw Story, CNN, Media Matters for America, Slate, Twitchy, Common Dreams, Contemptor, Daily Kos, UPI and The Root
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump impeachment team includes Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz
Trump impeachment team includes Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Florida Politics, The Federalist, Boston Magazine, Roll Call, National Review, Townhall and Boston Herald
Axios:
Trump tells HHS secretary he regrets wading into “that f***ing vaping thing” — President Trump told his health secretary yesterday that he regrets getting involved in the administration's policy on vaping, according to two sources familiar with the conversation.
Discussion:
Mediaite
RELATED:
New York Times:
Joe Biden: Former vice president of the United States — The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. — This interview was conducted by the editorial board of The New York Times …
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Kyle Jaeger / Marijuana Moment:
Joe Biden Again Says No To Marijuana Legalization Without More Studies
Joe Biden Again Says No To Marijuana Legalization Without More Studies
Discussion:
Mediaite
Variety:
Disney Drops Fox Name, Will Rebrand as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures — The mouse has officially killed the fox. — In a move at once unsurprising and highly symbolic, the Walt Disney Company is dropping the “Fox” brand from the 21st Century Fox assets it acquired last March, Variety has learned.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Independent, The Verge, The Week and globalnews.ca, more at Mediagazer »
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Kathryn Krawczyk / The Week:
Lara Trump is making fun of Joe Biden's stutter
Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
White House Considers Changes to Law Banning Overseas Bribes — Kudlow says administration has heard complaints from companies — Book says Trump clashed with Tillerson over bribery law — President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to seek changes to a 1977 law …
Discussion:
Above the Law and Raw Story
Kendall Karson / ABC News:
DNC outlines qualifying criteria for ABC News debate, adds new delegate threshold — The Feb. 7 debate will be the first matchup after voting begins. — The Democratic National Committee announced the qualifying rules for the Democratic debate on Feb. 7, the first matchup after voting begins …
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Meghan McCain: McSally 'Didn't Earn' the Senate Seat She Inherited From My Dad — “She didn't win that seat. I think that's important.” — The View's Meghan McCain took some shots at Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) on Friday after the lawmaker personally insulted a CNN reporter …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Twitchy and Contemptor
RELATED:
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Martha McSally's staggering cynicism
Martha McSally's staggering cynicism
Discussion:
Vox, The American Independent and Sara A. Carter
Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
Pompeo breaks silence on alleged threats to envoy in Ukraine — WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday broke nearly 72 hours of silence over alleged surveillance and threats to the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, saying he believed the allegations would prove to be wrong …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Kansas City Star:
Trump tried to call Kris Kobach during his meeting with Roger Marshall, sources say — President Donald Trump initially tried to call Kansas Republican Kris Kobach while he was meeting in the Oval Office with Kobach's GOP rival Rep. Roger Marshall, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
Wall Street Journal:
Men Discussed Opening Fire at Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Officials Say — Other suspected members of white-supremacist group the Base arrested in Georgia — Three suspected white supremacists arrested in Maryland and Delaware this week had discussed opening fire from different positions …
Discussion:
The Hill, Reason, Right Wing Watch and The Crime Report
KUSA-TV:
We caught up with Sen. Gardner at the airport to ask if he supports new witnesses in impeachment trial — Some Senate Republicans may break ranks to add witness testimony in President Trump's impeachment trial. — DENVER — Colorado's U.S. Senators, Democrat Michael Bennet and Republican Cory Gardner …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Yaron Steinbuch / New York Post:
ISIS leader dubbed ‘Jabba the Jihadi’ captured in Iraq — He put the fat in fatwa. — A morbidly obese ISIS fanatic dubbed “Jabba the Jihadi” has been captured by Iraqi forces — who loaded him onto a flatbed truck because he couldn't fit in a police car.
Discussion:
Task & Purpose
Martin Indyk / Wall Street Journal:
The Middle East Isn't Worth It Anymore — With few vital American interests still at stake there, the U.S. should finally set aside its grandiose ambitions for the chaotic region — Last week, despite Donald Trump's repeated pledge to end American involvement in the Middle East's conflicts …
Ernesto Londoño / New York Times:
Brazil's Top Culture Official Fired Over Speech Evoking Nazi Propaganda — The speech by President Jair Bolsonaro's culture secretary was the latest flash point in a debate over art and freedom of expression under the conservative government. — RIO DE JANEIRO — President Jair Bolsonaro's …
RELATED:
BBC:
Brazil's culture minister fired after echoing Goebbels
Brazil's culture minister fired after echoing Goebbels
Discussion:
Observer, UPI, Bloomberg and Marginal REVOLUTION
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Hannity previews Trump's final defense: So what if he's guilty? — It has long been obvious that Republicans would ultimately converge on this final defense of President Trump: Even if he did everything he's been accused of doing, and perhaps a lot more that we don't know about, it's absolutely fine!
Discussion:
Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Bulwark, Fox News, NBC News and HuffPost
Noah Berlatsky / NBC News:
Trump voters motivated by racism may be violating the Constitution. Can they be stopped? — Republicans and Democrats alike have been unwilling to reprimand voters or to hold them accountable. But racist voting isn't an accident. — If the Trump era has taught us anything …