Top Items:
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
What's next — giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to David Duke? — So that the right-wing, faux-outrage crowd does not have a meltdown, let me be clear: I am sorry to hear talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh has cancer. Any decent person should hope he has a full recovery.
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Politico:
Pelosi unloads on Trump in private meeting after SOTU standoff — Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped into President Donald Trump in a private meeting with Democrats Wednesday, just hours after the two jousted in a silent sparring match during his State of the Union address.
Discussion:
Variety, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA and Daily Kos
Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Speech Was a Bataan Death March of Bullsh*t — And it was a wakeup call for Democrats, who have acted as if 2016 was a fluke and Trump's personal sh*tshow, corruption, and idiocy all but ensure an easy win in November. — BEAST INSIDE — Donald's Trump State of the Union speech Tuesday night …
Discussion:
One America News Network and Raw Story
The Hill:
Pelosi trashes Trump address: ‘He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech’ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday trashed President Trump's raucous State of the Union address while huddling with rank-and-file Democrats and explained why she dramatically ripped up his speech as he wrapped up his remarks.
Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:
Rush Limbaugh's bigotry set the stage for Trump's takeover of the Republican Party — I have sympathy for Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk radio host who announced this week that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, and wish him a speedy recovery.
Discussion:
The White House, IJR and CNN, more at Mediagazer »
Cganemccalla / NewsOne:
Rush Limbaugh's Most Racist Quotes: A Timeline Of Destructive Commentary
Rush Limbaugh's Most Racist Quotes: A Timeline Of Destructive Commentary
Discussion:
The Nation
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump makes dazzling, divisive reelection pitch in State of the Union
Trump makes dazzling, divisive reelection pitch in State of the Union
Discussion:
Press Watch, COURIER, Columbia Journalism Review, alicublog and New York Times
Michael Goodwin / New York Post:
Nancy Pelosi shamed herself at Trump's State of the Union address
Nancy Pelosi shamed herself at Trump's State of the Union address
Discussion:
Townhall
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Pelosi ripped up a speech. Trump is ripping up our democracy.
Pelosi ripped up a speech. Trump is ripping up our democracy.
Discussion:
Twitchy, Mediaite and POLITICUSUSA
Miami Herald:
Parkland father removed from State of the Union speech after shouting at Trump
Parkland father removed from State of the Union speech after shouting at Trump
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Axios, Vox and Mother Jones
Elizabeth Vaughn / Redstate:
Reaction to SOTU: ‘We Need to Put a Cape on His Back, an ‘S’ on His Chest, and Call Him Superman’
Reaction to SOTU: ‘We Need to Put a Cape on His Back, an ‘S’ on His Chest, and Call Him Superman’
Discussion:
New York Times, Vanity Fair and Real Clear Politics
Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
Rush Limbaugh joins the likes of Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks as recipient of highest civilian honor
Rush Limbaugh joins the likes of Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks as recipient of highest civilian honor
Discussion:
The Root, Outside the Beltway, NB Blog, The Guardian, Raw Story and The Daily Beast
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Pelosi's Petty Move
Pelosi's Petty Move
Discussion:
The American Spectator, No More Mister Nice Blog and New York Times
Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
With chants, walkouts and a ripped-up speech, bitter partisanship dominates Trump's State of the Union
With chants, walkouts and a ripped-up speech, bitter partisanship dominates Trump's State of the Union
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, New York Times, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Politico and Axios
Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
Nancy Pelosi should resign
Nancy Pelosi should resign
Discussion:
Townhall, JONATHAN TURLEY, Breitbart, Fox News, CBS News and emptywheel
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
How Mitt Romney Decided Trump Is Guilty — Mitt Romney didn't want to go through with it. — “This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life,” he told me yesterday afternoon in his Senate office. Roughly 24 hours later, Romney would deliver a speech announcing …
Discussion:
National Review, Breitbart, Raw Story and PJ Media Home
RELATED:
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Romney to vote to convict Trump on charge of abuse of power, becoming the first Republican to break ranks — Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) sealed a place in history Wednesday with his announcement that he will to vote to convict President Trump of abuse of power, becoming a rare lone voice …
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Romney will vote to convinct Trump, in dramatic break with GOP — Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Wednesday he will vote to convict President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial, becoming the only Republican to break with the president and his party. — “The grave question …
Rick Porter / Hollywood Reporter:
TV Ratings: State of the Union Falls in Early Broadcast Numbers — Preliminary figures show the annual address down by double digits versus 2019. — The State of the Union address drew a considerably smaller audience on the broadcast networks than it did a year ago, at least in the preliminary ratings from Tuesday.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and The Daily Caller
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Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
Donald Trump's 3rd State of the Union Address Tumbles in Broadcast TV Ratings — Donald Trump's State of the Union address was all anybody could talk about on Tuesday, but “Ellen's Game of Games” showed up for NBC too. — This third SOTU from the 45th president of the United States …
Marc Caputo / Politico:
Biden concedes Iowa was ‘a gut punch’ — SOMERSWORTH, N.H. — Joe Biden is no longer denying his surprisingly weak performance in Iowa. — “I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We took a gut punch in Iowa,” Biden said Wednesday, before cracking a joke about Iowa's botched caucuses.
Discussion:
The Hill
RELATED:
Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Beyond the Partisan Fight, a Wealth of Evidence About Trump and Ukraine — Regardless of the Senate's verdict, the impeachment inquiry, President Trump's own words and other revelations yield a narrative establishing his involvement in the pressure campaign.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
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Christopher Miller / BuzzFeed News:
Evangelical Christians Also Wanted To Get Rid Of The US Ambassador To Ukraine
Evangelical Christians Also Wanted To Get Rid Of The US Ambassador To Ukraine
Discussion:
The Hill
George Conway / Washington Post:
I believe the president, and in the president — George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC. — I believe the president, and in the president. — I believe the Senate is right to acquit the president.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
This Is No Way to Beat Trump — Watching the Iowa caucus this year was a new experience for me. Before the ascendancy of Donald Trump, I was an establishment conservative, one of those liberal New England Republicans whose tribe is now only of blessed memory.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Osita Nwanevu / New Republic:
Trump Has Never Looked More Comfortable as a Demagogue
Trump Has Never Looked More Comfortable as a Demagogue
Discussion:
Raw Story
Issie Lapowsky / protocol:
He complained about Democrats' tech ‘morass’ — then built the Iowa app
He complained about Democrats' tech ‘morass’ — then built the Iowa app
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg, HuffPost, The Minnesota Sun, National Review and VICE, more at Techmeme »
jones.senate.gov:
Senator Doug Jones Statement on Impeachment Decision — “As this chapter of history draws to a close, one thing is clear: our country deserves better than this. We must find a way to come together, to set aside partisan differences, and to focus on what we have in common as Americans.”
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Bloomberg and Raw Story
BuzzFeed News:
She Shunned Islam And Was Embraced By Trump World. They Took Her Money, Then Turned On Her. — Rabia Kazan, a Turkish national who used to be a Trump fanatic, made a big donation to the president's campaign. But she's not a US citizen. — A former rising star in MAGA world recently renounced …
Vivian Salama / CNN:
Pentagon officials stunned by White House decision to block Ukraine aid, new emails show — Washington (CNN)Days before the July 2019 call between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, US officials were still working to expedite the delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Record economic optimism under Trump, better than Reagan, Clinton, Obama — Economic optimism has reached a 44-year high and economic gloom a record low under President Trump in the latest survey that shows people in the United States are cheering their best personal economy in decades.
RELATED:
RJ Reinhart / Gallup:
Record-High Optimism on Personal Finances in U.S.
Record-High Optimism on Personal Finances in U.S.
Discussion:
Townhall, The Federalist, UPI and Twitchy
Alex Griswold / Washington Free Beacon:
Bloomberg Used Box to Boost Height as NYC Mayor, Documents Show — The Bloomberg campaign was quick to shoot down President Donald Trump's claim that the Democratic presidential candidate plans to use a box to boost his height at Friday's Democratic debate.
Discussion:
The Babylon Bee
Rob Portman / New York Times:
Why I'm Voting to Acquit President Trump — Impeachment will end in the Senate. It's time to take up consensus issues. — Mr. Portman is a Republican senator from Ohio. — On Wednesday I will join a majority of my Senate colleagues in opposing the impeachment of President Trump brought by the House of Representatives.
Discussion:
Althouse