Top Items:
ABC News:
‘Take her out’: Recording appears to capture Trump at private dinner saying he wants Ukraine ambassador fired — Trump apparently heard discussing firing Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. — A recording reviewed by ABC News appears to capture President Donald Trump telling associates …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Power Line, NBC News, New York Times, National Review, Little Green Footballs, Raw Story, Law & Crime, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, The Week, The Nation, HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Al Jazeera, Political Wire, Eschaton, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Twitchy, Contemptor, The American Independent and The Guardian
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Betsy Swan / The Daily Beast:
Rudy Pal Igor Fruman Taped Trump Trying to Fire Ukraine Ambassador: Lawyer — The tape may contradict Trump's claim that he does not know the two Giuliani associates who worked to have the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine be removed. — A recently-indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani taped …
Discussion:
Vox, Politico, Mother Jones, Axios, Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Law & Crime, The Week and Mediaite
Robert Burns / Associated Press:
Pentagon: 34 US troops had brain injuries from Iran's strike — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month's Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base, and that half of the troops have returned to their military duties.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Raw Story, Press Herald and The Hill
RELATED:
CNN:
34 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iranian missile strike — Washington (CNN)Thirty-four US service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following the Iranian missile attack on US forces in Iraq earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Friday.
Discussion:
The Week
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
34 Troops Have Brain Injuries From Iranian Missile Strike, Pentagon Says — Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said that eight of the affected service members have returned to the United States from an American military hospital in Germany. — WASHINGTON — The Defense Department said Friday …
Discussion:
Slate
Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
34 service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran missile attack: Pentagon
34 service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran missile attack: Pentagon
Discussion:
Politico
BBC:
Neo-Nazi Rinaldo Nazzaro running US militant group The Base from Russia — The American founder of US-based militant neo-Nazi group The Base is directing the organisation from Russia, a BBC investigation has found. — Rinaldo Nazzaro, 46, who uses the aliases “Norman Spear” and “Roman Wolf” …
RELATED:
Ezra Klein / New York Times:
Why Democrats Still Have to Appeal to the Center, but Republicans Don't — Polarization has changed the two parties — just not in the same way. — Mr. Klein is the author of “Why We're Polarized.” — American politics has been dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties since the Civil War.
Discussion:
Mother Jones
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Richard L. Hasen / Washington Post:
The loser of November's election may not concede. Their voters won't, either. — It's all too easy to imagine scenarios where the results are contested. — When the polls closed on Nov. 5, 2019, the initial count showed the governor of Kentucky, Republican Matt Bevins, losing to his Democratic challenger, Andy Beshear.
Discussion:
New York Times
Mason Walker / Pew Research Center:
U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided
U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided
Discussion:
courthousenews.com
Scott Clement / Washington Post:
Americans still divided on Trump's removal from office, but a strong economy is boosting his approval rating, Post-ABC poll finds — President Trump's approval rating has climbed to match the highest of his presidency, boosted by majority approval of his economic stewardship …
Discussion:
Washington Times
RELATED:
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Democrats launch last bid to break Trump's impeachment firewall — House Democrats are preparing to rest their impeachment case Friday after one last attempt to soften President Donald Trump's Republican firewall against his removal from office. — But so far, despite the lofty rhetoric …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Redstate, Breitbart and Axios
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Lindsey Graham will oppose subpoena of Hunter Biden
Lindsey Graham will oppose subpoena of Hunter Biden
Discussion:
Newsweek, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and Politico
David Edwards / Raw Story:
Lindsey Graham screeches at reporters over impeachment: Trump ‘did nothing wrong in his mind’
Lindsey Graham screeches at reporters over impeachment: Trump ‘did nothing wrong in his mind’
Discussion:
HuffPost and HuffPost Canada
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine
When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine
Discussion:
Omaha World-Herald, The Hill and Talking Points Memo
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Joe Biden goes to his secret weapon to close the deal in Iowa — In a new ad entitled “Threat” running across Iowa starting Friday, a female narrator makes the stakes of the Democratic primary plain: … On screen a series of polls are shown — all of which show Biden running ahead of Trump.
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David Brooks / New York Times:
Joe Biden Is Stronger Than You Think — Here's why he is still winning. — It was yet another epic failure of political punditry. Go back to the early months of Joe Biden's presidential campaign and read what the consultants and commentators were saying about him: His support is just name recognition; he'll fade!
Jill Colvin / Associated Press:
Trump, a late convert to cause, to join anti-abortion rally — WASHINGTON (AP) — It was just four years ago that a political committee supporting one of Donald Trump's Republican rivals unveiled an ad slamming his views on abortion, complete with footage from a 1999 interview in which he declared, “I am pro-choice in every respect.”
RELATED:
Damon Linker / The Week:
Donald Trump and the moral decline of the pro-life movement
Donald Trump and the moral decline of the pro-life movement
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NPR and Breitbart
Stephanie Armour / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Plans Action Against California Over Abortion-Coverage Requirement
Trump Administration Plans Action Against California Over Abortion-Coverage Requirement
Discussion:
NPR
Pranshu Verma / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
‘I will not vote’ for Trump, Jeff Van Drew vowed in a voicemail. Then he pledged ‘undying support’ for the president. — Three weeks before New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew cemented his defection to the Republican Party with a pledge of “undying support” for President Donald Trump, he sent a constituent a very different message.
Ben Terris / Washington Post:
Mitch McConnell doesn't care what you think. He just wants to win. — First, the smirk. — Mitch McConnell's smirk is a frown by another name. The corners of his mouth either remain flat enough to level a picture frame, or plunge downward, as if unwilling to do battle with the laws of gravity.
RELATED:
Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Adam Schiff Stands Up and Speaks the Truth at Mitch McConnell's Upside-Down Stalinist Show Trial
Adam Schiff Stands Up and Speaks the Truth at Mitch McConnell's Upside-Down Stalinist Show Trial
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Post and Raw Story
New York Times:
Trump May Propose New Firm to Host Presidential Debates — The nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates has sponsored every general election debate since 1988, but the Trump campaign has raised concerns about whether its 2020 events would be “fair.” — WASHINGTON — President Trump's campaign …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Coronavirus Live Updates: Infections Exceed 900 and Reach Europe, as Travel Limits in China Encircle 35 Million — Shanghai Disneyland shut down, hospitals pleaded for help, France reported two cases — the first in Europe — and the youngest victim so far was identified as a 36-year-old man in central China.
Discussion:
CNBC, STAT, Chicago Tribune, Jezebel, Mediaite, Popular Science, ITV, Gothamist, The Week, LewRockwell, Fox News, Balloon Juice and Vox
Neil Vigdor / New York Times:
Vice Officers Fired Over Stormy Daniels's 2018 Arrest at Ohio Strip Club — The misdemeanor charges of illegal sexually oriented activity were dropped within 24 hours after the pornographic film actress was arrested in 2018. — Two vice officers were fired on Thursday by the city of Columbus …
Discussion:
The Hill, Sputnik News and The Columbus Dispatch
Wall Street Journal:
Report Alleging Saudi Hack of Bezos Phone Puzzles Security Experts — Investigation by FTI appears to be inconclusive, several specialists in cybersecurity say — A report concluding that Saudi Arabia likely hacked into Jeff Bezos ' smartphone has spurred questions and confusion among cybersecurity experts …
RELATED:
Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:
Regime Critic Says Saudis Tried to Kidnap Him on U.S. Soil
Regime Critic Says Saudis Tried to Kidnap Him on U.S. Soil
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, Raw Story, The Nation, Axios and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
Donald Trump Is Already Trying to Cut Entitlements — Earlier this week, at the bleeding-heart billionaire class' annual handwringing exhibition in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump suggested that he would “take a look” at cutting entitlement programs “at some point.”
Discussion:
New York Times and PJ Media Home
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Cristina Marcos / The Hill:
Michigan governor to give Democratic response to Trump State of the Union address
Michigan governor to give Democratic response to Trump State of the Union address
Discussion:
Associated Press and Politico
Bill McMorris / Washington Free Beacon:
Twitter Attaches Warning to Trump Campaign's Pro-Life Video — Twitter attached a warning reserved for graphic, gory, or violent content to a pro-life video from the Trump campaign, prompting accusations of censorship against the social media giant. — Hours before Trump is scheduled …
Tim Alberta / Politico:
How the Gun Show Became the Trump Show — AUTHOR'S NOTE: Late last year, I moved home to Michigan. I did so primarily for family reasons, but also because I wanted to get back in touch with parts of the country where D.C. journalists often visit but rarely stay for long.
Axios:
Trump impeachment team looks at shorter trial defense — President Trump's team is considering using just a portion of the 24 hours they're given for arguments in his impeachment trial. — Why it matters: A truncated defense would likely reflect a decision not to contest facts …