memeorandum: How to Prevent the Next Election Meltdown (Richard L. Hasen/Wall Street Journal)

5:30 PM ET, February 7, 2020

Top Items:

Eric Russell / Press Herald:

Sen. Collins says retribution after impeachment acquittal would not be appropriate — Maine's Republican senator defended her vote not to impeach President Trump but said she'll continue to challenge him when appropriate. — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, appearing in Maine for the first time since …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Daily Kos

NBC News:

Vindman, who provided key impeachment testimony, ‘escorted’ from White House, attorney says — “The truth has cost LTC Alexander Vindman his job, his career, and his privacy,” Vindman's attorney told NBC News. — WASHINGTON — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Hill

Kaitlan Collins / CNN:

Key impeachment witness Vindman fired from White House job — Washington (CNN)Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, was pushed out of his role Friday months earlier than expected, according to a statement from his attorney.

Discussion: Reuters, POLITICUSUSA, The Gateway Pundit, Task & Purpose, Law & Crime and New York Post

New York Times:

Impeachment Witness Alexander Vindman Fired From the White House — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, whose testimony in the House inquiry infuriated President Trump and his allies, will be reassigned within the military, officials said. “I'm not happy with him,” Trump said. Colonel Vindman's brother was fired too.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Financial Times, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, The Week, Press Herald, Unprecedented, Bloomberg, Daily Kos and Redstate

Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:

Trump warns on impeachment payback: 'You'll see' — Trump showed little sign of wanting to mend fences with the Democrats, saying there is “a lot of evil on that side.” — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that his impeachment should be invalidated, and he gave an ominous warning …

Discussion: Associated Press and Washington Post

Politico:
Vindman, a star Trump impeachment witness, escorted out of the White House

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, Associated Press, Axios, Raw Story, HuffPost, PJ Media Home, Newsy, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos

Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
Exclusive: Bill Taylor says attacks on Yovanovitch were ‘unconscionable’

Discussion: Raw Story

Bloomberg:
Vindman Escorted From White House After Trump's Senate Acquittal

Discussion: Townhall, ABC News, Fox News, Redstate, The Daily Beast, American Oversight, Newsy, Vox, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Twitchy, National Review, Breitbart, CNN, Daily Kos, Slate, The Last Refuge and The Week

Elura Nanos / Law & Crime:
White House Could Exploit ‘Loophole’ to Oust Lt. Col. Vindman

Discussion: Twitchy, Fox News and Patterico's Pontifications

Sean Illing / Vox:

“We're losing our damn minds”: James Carville unloads on the Democratic Party — James Carville arrives for the annual JFK Profiles in Courage Award ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 20, 2018. Paul Marotta/Getty Images — Why the longtime Democratic strategist is “scared to death” of the 2020 election.

Discussion: National Review, NB Blog, Mediaite, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Twitchy and Washington Post

The Hill:

Key House Democrat says Perez must go: 'He doesn't lead on anything' — A top Democratic voice on election reform is calling for the ouster of Tom Perez, the powerful chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who has come under fire following the Iowa caucuses.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Guardian and COURIER, more at Mediagazer »

Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
The Real Truth the Iowa Caucuses Don't Want You to Know!

Discussion: Washington Post, Common Dreams and Raw Story

Politico:
Iowa blowback scorches Tom Perez

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, IJR, CNN and New York Times

Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Iowa Democratic chair calls for independent investigation into ‘what happened’

Discussion: Jacobin, National Review and The Hill

Joseph Cox / VICE:
Shadow's Cancelled Nevada Caucus App Had Errors, Too

Discussion: Breitbart, Mashable and National Review

Amy Walter / The Cook Political Report:

So, Now What? — CONCORD, N.H. — Although controversy continues to swirl around the Iowa caucuses, folks here in New Hampshire seemed to have already moved on. They don't need an official recanvass or final party certified winner to tell them what happened on Monday night.

Discussion: CNBC

Joan Walsh / The Nation:
The Erasure of Elizabeth Warren Continues

Discussion: National Review, Vox, The Root, NBC News, Raw Story and The Smoke Eater

CBS Boston:
Exclusive NH Tracking Poll: Pete Buttigieg Stays Hot, Ties Bernie Sanders For Lead

Discussion: National Review, Disrn and The Hill

David Catanese / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Buttigieg's ‘urgent’ New Hampshire mission: squeeze Sanders, beat Biden

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:

Vice President Pence defends deficit expansion under Trump as necessary for economic growth — Vice President Mike Pence defended deficit expansion under the Trump administration during a CNBC interview Friday, saying that debt and deficits are secondary concerns compared to economic growth.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
The nagging detail about job growth Trump probably won't like

Discussion: New York Times and POLITICUSUSA

Washington Post:

Secret Service has paid rates as high as $650 a night for rooms at Trump's properties — President Trump's company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties — billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night …

Discussion: The Atlantic, CNN, Associated Press, Raw Story, Vox, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, The Week, Daily Kos, The Daily Beast, The Hill and IJR

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post: What President Trump's company charges the Secret Service

Li Yuan / New York Times:

Widespread Outcry in China Over Death of Coronavirus Doctor — The doctor, Li Wenliang, had been silenced by the police after warning about the new coronavirus that has killed hundreds in China and sickened thousands. — They posted videos of the Les Misérables song, “Do You Hear the People Sing.”

Discussion: NPR, Washington Post, Financial Times, Slate, The Week and Breitbart

New York Times:

Joe Biden Shakes Up Campaign Leadership, Elevating Anita Dunn — Ms. Dunn, who worked in the Obama White House, is taking on a new role as Mr. Biden seeks a reset after a disappointing fourth-place finish in Iowa. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic operative and top adviser …

Discussion: CNN, The Hill and The Gateway Pundit

Bill Barrow / Associated Press: Biden shuffles top campaign leadership after Iowa

Scott Bixby / The Daily Beast:

Mike Bloomberg Is Paying ‘Influencers’ to Make Him Seem Cool — The Bloomberg campaign is trying an ad strategy familiar to every other startup with a ton of cash and a questionable business model: paying influencers to make it seem cool. — One day after the Iowa caucuses were effectively botched …

Discussion: The Guardian, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Intercept, NB Blog, Vanity Fair and Twitchy

Chuck Schumer / New York Times:

The Woman Defending Harvey Weinstein … In the trial of Harvey Weinstein, six women have taken the stand, each making similar accusations of rape and sexual assault against the movie producer. Throughout their testimony, Weinstein's defense lawyers have portrayed those encounters as consensual …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Independent, Page Six, KTLA, The Wrap, Law & Crime, The Daily Caller and Jezebel

Matthew Cappucci / Washington Post:

Antarctica just hit 65 degrees, its warmest temperature ever recorded — It comes days after earth's warmest January on record. — Just days after the earth saw its warmest January on record, Antarctica has broken its warmest temperature ever recorded. A reading of 65 degrees was taken …

Discussion: The Week

James B. Comey / Washington Post:

As usual, Trump called me a sleaze. But the audience reaction to his rant was more upsetting. — James B. Comey is a former director of the FBI and former deputy attorney general. — The most important thing that happened during President Trump's post-impeachment rant at the White House didn't happen at the lectern.

Discussion: The White House, Raw Story, The Last Refuge and Vox

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

In its own document, Fox News rips Fox News host Sean Hannity — Each night, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity engage in some shallow blather during the “handoff” between their ratings-killing programs. In Thursday night's version, Hannity told Carlson, “You know the deep-state story is even getting bigger.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Week, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Beast, more at Mediagazer »

Vicky Ward / CNN:

Exclusive photos of Giuliani in Spain show Lev Parnas has lots more to share — New York (CNN)Stored in devices seized from Lev Parnas by law enforcement, there's a 34-second cell phone video of Rudy Giuliani relishing a bullfight. There are also photos of Donald Trump's personal attorney posing …

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

New York to Sue Trump Administration Over Global Entry Freeze — The lawsuit will challenge the federal government's decision to bar New Yorkers from enrolling in programs that allow travelers to skip lines at airports. — New York State officials said on Friday that they planned to sue …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Department of Homeland …

Parker Molloy / Media Matters for America:

Chris Cillizza, impeachment, and a grotesque monument to modern media — What CNN's analyst shows about what gets prioritized in the press — You know how in movies like Freaky Friday, 13 Going on 30, and Big, there are always those scenes where the main character has to learn how to be an adult?

Chris Lee / Vulture:

Who Is Writing Brad Pitt's Awards Season Speeches? — By this point in awards season, Brad Pitt's march toward a Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems all but inevitable. Not to say anyone's complaining. In fact, the loudest knock against the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star is that his warm …

Discussion: Slate

Charles Sykes / The Bulwark:

The Gospel According to Mad King Donald — Wednesday's outbursts didn't teach us much about Donald Trump. But they taught us a lot about the Republican party. — Presidential contrition? That would be a no. — Maine Senator Susan Collins now admits that she may have been wrong …

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, Raw Story, HuffPost and NBC News

Tristan Justice / The Federalist: Coverage Of Mitt Romney's Impeachment Vote Is A Case Study In Media Bias

Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post:

Trump's State of the Union speech was a white supremacist vision of America — President Trump defiled the majesty of the East Room of the White House with a vulgar display of vindictiveness that shocked even those of us who didn't expect anything less. For more than an hour …

Jessica Sidman / Washingtonian:

AOC: It's “Impossible” to Get a Good Bacon-Egg-and-Cheese in DC — “I don't know how anybody eats in Washington, DC,” the congresswoman says. — We get it, we get it, DC isn't New York. The political bickering! The lack of bodegas! The lack of bodega cats!

Matt Stevens / New York Times:

What It Was Like to Work for Andrew Yang — He has called his campaign “the journey of my life.” But what got lost in the novelty of his bid, former employees say, was scrutiny of his life before this particular journey. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Andrew Yang on the presidential debate stage …