Top Items:
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, POLITICUSUSA, Vanity Fair and Daily Kos
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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.
Discussion:
Vox, COURIER, Twitchy and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
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.
Jonathan Turley / The Hill:
Nancy Pelosi should resign — The House has its share of infamies, great and small, real and symbolic, and has been the scene of personal infamies from brawls to canings. But the conduct of Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the State of the Union address this week will go down as a day of infamy for the chamber as an institution.
Discussion:
Townhall, JONATHAN TURLEY, Breitbart, Fox News and CBS News
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Pompeo accidentally proves the wrong point with Simpsons reference
Pompeo accidentally proves the wrong point with Simpsons reference
Discussion:
CNN, Vox and Vanity Fair
Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:
Rush Limbaugh's bigotry set the stage for Trump's takeover of the Republican Party
Rush Limbaugh's bigotry set the stage for Trump's takeover of the Republican Party
Discussion:
The White House, IJR and FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV
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
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:
New York Times, Twitchy, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and POLITICUSUSA
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, Columbia Journalism Review, COURIER, alicublog and LifeNews.com
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
In photos: All the drama from State of the Union address
In photos: All the drama from State of the Union address
Discussion:
Newsweek, Redstate, Washington Monthly and Breitbart
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Pelosi's Petty Move
Pelosi's Petty Move
Discussion:
The American Spectator, New York Times and No More Mister Nice Blog
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
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:
Breitbart, The Federalist, HuffPost, National Review, Mother Jones, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, The Hill and PJ Media Home
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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 convict, denying Trump unanimous Republican support — Romney: President's actions 'most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office' — Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Wednesday he will vote to convict President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Townhall
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney shows us all is not lost — Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — a man of uncommon decency and honor who, in my estimation, could have been an excellent president — earned a line in history by defying the president of his own party. The history books will record …
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Impeachment Trial Live Updates: Senators to Vote on Two Impeachment Charges
Impeachment Trial Live Updates: Senators to Vote on Two Impeachment Charges
Discussion:
Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast and Twitchy
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, One America News Network, Vanity Fair and ABC News
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Politico:
First head rolls after Biden's weak Iowa finish
First head rolls after Biden's weak Iowa finish
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill and Associated Press
Bhaskar Sunkara / The Guardian:
The DNC can't steal the election from Bernie Sanders despite the Iowa chaos
William Saletan / Slate:
How Pete Won — Last week in Iowa, former Vice President Joe …
How Pete Won — Last week in Iowa, former Vice President Joe …
Discussion:
IJR, New York Times and Breitbart
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says she will vote to convict President Trump on impeachment charges — Citing her concern for the Constitution as well as the conduct of future presidents, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will vote Wednesday to convict President Donald Trump on the impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
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
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
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, Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit, IJR and Raw Story
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
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 …
Hollywood Reporter:
Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot: ‘Irishman’ “Was Boring,” Tarantino “Amazing,” “I Want an American Director to Win” — by Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg — As voting ends, a female member of the Academy's actors branch, granted anonymity to speak freely, shares which films earn her precious vote (and — gulp — why).
Discussion:
VICE
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
Alexa Ura / The Texas Tribune:
New Texas election process has Democrats expecting a delay in Super Tuesday delegate totals — More than half of Texas' Democratic presidential delegates in the March 3 primary will be determined by vote totals in state Senate districts. The Texas Secretary of State has told Democratic leaders …
Discussion:
The Hill
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
FBI chief: No one asked me to open probes on improper basis — WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray avoided a direct answer Wednesday when asked if President Donald Trump had asked him for investigations into political opponents, saying only that no one had requested probes based on anything other than …
Discussion:
ABC News, Fortune and The Daily Beast
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