Top Items:
Politico:
John Roberts blocks mentions of alleged whistleblower's name — Chief Justice John Roberts has communicated to senators that he will not read aloud the alleged Ukraine whistleblower's name or otherwise publicly relay questions that might out the official, a move that's effectively blocked Sen. Rand Paul from asking a question.
Discussion:
NBC News, National Review, The Hill, Breitbart, IJR, Impeachment dot fyi, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo and Disrn
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Politico:
Senate and John Roberts face possibility of epic tie on witnesses — Ahead of a tight vote on whether to hear new witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, the Senate is preparing for the possibility that this crucial roll call has an asterisk in the history books: It ends in a tie.
Discussion:
The Hill, Wall Street Journal, One America News Network and Althouse
James Arkin / Politico:
Conservative group will launch ad broadside against Collins in Georgia — The conservative Club for Growth plans to air a massive ad campaign attacking Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), adding fuel to the intraparty battle that kicked off after the GOP congressman launched a Senate campaign this week.
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
To Senate Republicans, a Vote for Witnesses Is a Vote for Trouble — Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations. — WASHINGTON — In the end, the impeachment calculation nearly all Senate Republicans are making …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Fox News, CBS News and ABC News
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Raphael Warnock, pastor of famed church, enters Georgia Senate race
Washington Post:
Document shows Bernie Sanders's team preparing dozens of potential executive orders — Rising in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the presidential candidate considers spelling out how he could go around Congress if elected president — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) …
Discussion:
Common Dreams and New York Magazine
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Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
ALAN DERSHOWITZ FOR THE DEFENSE: L'ÉTAT, C'EST TRUMP — Donald Trump's lawyer says that the President can do just about anything he wants. — An hour into the Senate trial of Donald John Trump on Wednesday, the emeritus Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz came to the floor to answer …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
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Washington Post:
Trump legal team advances blanket defense against impeachment
Trump legal team advances blanket defense against impeachment
Discussion:
The Federalist
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Republican theory for Trump acquittal could unleash unrestrained presidential power
Republican theory for Trump acquittal could unleash unrestrained presidential power
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, VICE, JONATHAN TURLEY and New York Times
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Adam Schiff's definitive answer for impeachment
Adam Schiff's definitive answer for impeachment
Discussion:
Vanity Fair and Raw Story
Andy Rose / CNN:
Portion of US border wall in California falls over in high winds and lands on Mexican side — (CNN)Newly installed panels from the US border wall fell over in high winds Wednesday, landing on trees on the Mexican side of the border. — The area is part of an ongoing construction project to improve existing sections of the wall.
Discussion:
The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA, Los Angeles Times, Common Dreams, HuffPost, The Week, New York Post and Outside the Beltway
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KYMA-TV:
Portion of new border wall falls in Mexicali — MEXICALI, Baja California, Mexico - (KYMA, KECY) Mexicali police have confirmed with News 11 that a portion of the new border wall fell on the Mexico side of the border, landing on several trees. — Police said it happened a little before 12 p.m. local time.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, KTLA, Raw Story and Daily Kos
The Hill:
Biden sees Bloomberg as threat — and boon to Sanders — Former Vice President Joe Biden's allies are growing anxious about former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, believing he will siphon off Biden's centrist support on Super Tuesday and pave the way for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to win the nomination.
Discussion:
New York Post
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Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says China's coronavirus ‘will help’ bring jobs back to U.S. — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the Chinese coronavirus — which has killed 170 in China and infected more than 7,700 people — could “help” to bring jobs to the United States because companies …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Common Dreams, Raw Story and The Week
Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:
Bloomberg's $11 Million Super Bowl Ad: Gun Violence and a Grieving Mother — Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign is airing a 60-second ad during the game that will promote his record on gun control to a huge national audience. — DES MOINES — After the dazzle and pop of Jennifer Lopez …
Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Say They Are Stunned by Trump Lawyer's Stance on Foreign Information — Democrats reacted angrily to White House lawyer Patrick Philbin's argument on the Senate floor that it is not a campaign violation if a foreign power offers information about a person running for political office …
Discussion:
New York Times, HuffPost and NBC News
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Lizzie Dearden / The Independent:
Katie Hopkins' Twitter account suspended — Move comes after Countdown host Rachel Riley and campaigners demand action from social network — Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter after calls for a “full review” by the social network.
Discussion:
Axios
Emily Saul / New York Post:
Hillary Clinton refuses to be served Tulsi Gabbard's defamation lawsuit — Hillary Clinton has now twice snubbed a process server attempting to deliver the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, according to Gabbard's attorney.
Discussion:
National Review, The Daily Caller, Fox News, IJR and Twitchy
Charlie Warzel / New York Times:
What Will You Do When the Culture War Comes for You? — Newsrooms still aren't ready for the trolls. — Mr. Warzel is an Opinion writer at large. — The culture war will come for us all. — On Sunday, it came for a Washington Post reporter, Felicia Sonmez.
Discussion:
NB Blog, The Daily Caller and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
How Trump's impeachment created two Democratic superstars — The House Democratic Caucus has long been dominated by a gaggle of also-rans: men and women who, while good enough for Congress, proved to be underwhelming on the larger stage of national politics. — That's changed.
Discussion:
Breitbart
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
The Iowa Caucuses Are In 4 Days. Almost Anything Could Still Happen. — As much as we try to remind you all about how uncertain elections can be — pleas that sometimes fall on deaf ears — it's important to keep in mind in advance of the Iowa caucuses. To begin with, primaries are much harder …
Discussion:
The Hill
Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:
I have just read 25 books and am here to perform your open-heart surgery — “What I would encourage people to do is try to divorce yourself from all of the history that's happened over the years and read this plan.” — “I've been getting criticized for the last couple of years by all the people …
Discussion:
Mediaite and New York Magazine
Terry Gross / NPR:
‘Election Meltdown Is A Real Possibility’ In 2020 Presidential Race, Author Warns — Toggle more options — What if a blackout were to happen in a major city in one of America's swing states on Election Day 2020? Or if an error occurred while tabulating electronic ballots?
Scott Johnson / Power Line:
Hashi wipes his Facebook page — On Sunday Ilhan Omar's henchman — one Guhad Hashi — emitted a stream of terroristic threats against David Steinberg. They were numerous, they were vulgar, they were public, and they were intended to silence David and others. — I wrote about the threats here.
Discussion:
Instapundit
Jonathan Tilove / Austin American-Statesman:
Lyceum poll: Bernie is Trump's toughest rival in Texas — Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are running neck-and-neck among Texas Democrats, but it is the socialist U.S. senator from Vermont who poses the strongest challenge to President Donald Trump in the Lone Star state, according to a Texas Lyceum poll released Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Hill
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Ex-Trump aide Carter Page files suit against DNC over dossier: ‘This is only the first salvo’ — EXCLUSIVE: Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against the Democratic National Committee, law firm Perkins Coie and its partners tied to the funding …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Sara A. Carter
Louise Boyle / Daily Mail:
Judge in Virginia Giuffre's defamation suit against Jeffrey Epstein's ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell is asked to reconsider her decision to keep trove of case documents sealed — NY Judge Loretta A. Preska was asked to reconsider her decision to keep under seal documents in Virginia Giuffre's defamation case against Ghislaine Maxwell
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Economy Grew at 2.1% Rate in Fourth Quarter — WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace since 2016 last year, after posting a 2.1% advance in the fourth quarter. — Gross domestic product-the value of all goods and services produced across the economy-rose at a seasonally …
Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar / Associated Press:
Thorny trade-offs in Trump administration's Medicaid deal — The Trump administration has a Medicaid deal for states: more control over health care spending on certain low-income residents if they agree to a limit on how much the feds kick in. — It's unclear how many states would be interested …
Discussion:
Vox
Associated Press:
AP-NORC poll: GOP more fired up for 2020, Democrats anxious — When it comes to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats are nervous wrecks and Republican excitement has grown. — That's according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research as Americans look ahead …
Tom Chiarella / Esquire:
21 Hours With Alan Dershowitz — Over the course of one week, Tom Chiarella watched Donald Trump's TV-loving lawyer prepare for his biggest argument to date. He still can't make sense of it. — He sits with his back half-turned to the window of his eighth-floor apartment in Miami Beach …
Joshua Barajas / CANVAS:
WATCH LIVE: Gwen Ifill honored in Forever stamp dedication ceremony — A familiar PBS NewsHour face may soon grace your mailbox. — The late NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill is being commemorated by the U.S. Postal Service with a Forever stamp this year. USPS will celebrate the release …
Tom Nichols / USA Today:
Trump is being impeached over an extortion scheme, not a ‘policy dispute’ — Trump was shaking down Zelensky while trying to keep the rest of the government in the dark. That's not a ‘policy,’ that's a conspiracy. — President Donald Trump's lawyers in his Senate trial …
Issues & Insights:
Do We Even Need A FISA Court? — If you aren't already overdosed on irony, apparently an inexhaustible natural resource in Washington, where the “party of the people” seeks to oust arguably only the second populist president in American history, it's worth mulling the 1970s origins of the FISA Court.