Top Items:
Eric Russell / Press Herald:
Sen. Collins says retribution against witnesses in impeachment process is inappropriate — Maine's Republican senator defended her votes to acquit Trump as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified against him, was escorted out of the White House. — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, The Week and POLITICUSUSA
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New York Times:
Trump Fires Impeachment Witnesses Gordon Sondland and Alexander Vindman in Post-Acquittal Purge — Emboldened by his victory and determined to strike back, the president removed Mr. Sondland as ambassador to the European Union after the White House earlier on Friday dismissed Colonel Vindman.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Mediaite, Axios, Washington Post, New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Week and New York Post
Politico:
Impeachment witnesses ousted amid fears of Trump revenge campaign — The purge of impeachment witnesses has begun. — Within hours of each other, President Donald Trump and the White House removed two of the most crucial witnesses against the president in the investigation that led to his impeachment for abuse of power.
Discussion:
Washington Post, HuffPost, Associated Press, ABC News, The Resurgent, The Hill, The Last Refuge, Raw Story, UPI, TheBlaze, Newsy, Vox, Axios, PJ Media Home, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos
CNN:
Trump fires two major impeachment figures — Alexander Vindman and Gordon Sondland — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump fired two key impeachment witnesses Friday, dismissing Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland.
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.
Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:
Trump warns on impeachment payback: 'You'll see'
Trump warns on impeachment payback: 'You'll see'
Discussion:
Associated Press, Vanity Fair, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News and National Review
Alex Pappas / Fox News:
Trump ousts key impeachment figures Sondland, Vindman days after Senate acquittal
Trump ousts key impeachment figures Sondland, Vindman days after Senate acquittal
Washington Post:
Trump fires Gordon Sondland, the second impeachment witness to be removed from his post Friday
Trump fires Gordon Sondland, the second impeachment witness to be removed from his post Friday
Discussion:
The Hill, POLITICUSUSA and Daily Kos
NBC News:
Vindman, who provided key impeachment testimony, ‘escorted’ from White House, attorney says
Vindman, who provided key impeachment testimony, ‘escorted’ from White House, attorney says
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Associated Press, Washington Monthly, Newsy and HuffPost
Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
Exclusive: Bill Taylor says attacks on Yovanovitch were ‘unconscionable’
Exclusive: Bill Taylor says attacks on Yovanovitch were ‘unconscionable’
Discussion:
Raw Story
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:
CNN, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, PJ Media Home, Fox News, National Review, TheBlaze, Twitchy and NB Blog
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Ryan Teague Beckwith / Bloomberg:
Team Clinton Hits Sanders Ahead of New Hampshire Primary
Team Clinton Hits Sanders Ahead of New Hampshire Primary
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller
Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Has a Pete Buttigieg Problem — In Iowa and New Hampshire, it's Pete Buttigieg — not Bernie Sanders — who has complicated Ms. Warren's path, winning over college-educated white voters using a similar message of Democratic unity. — MERRIMACK N.H. — In the back row …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite, New York Magazine and Newsweek
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Mark Murray / NBC News:
NBC News/Marist poll: Sanders, Buttigieg continue to lead in New Hampshire
NBC News/Marist poll: Sanders, Buttigieg continue to lead in New Hampshire
Discussion:
The Hill, Bloomberg and The Boston Globe
David Weigel / Washington Post:
The Trailer: The stage is set. Will there be zingers?
The Trailer: The stage is set. Will there be zingers?
Discussion:
Politico, The Nation, The Hill, Townhall and Associated Press
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:
National Review and Mother Jones
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Steve Benen / MSNBC:
The nagging detail about job growth Trump probably won't like
The nagging detail about job growth Trump probably won't like
Discussion:
New York Times and POLITICUSUSA
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:
Associated Press, Politico, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Redstate and The Week
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Tim Miller / The Bulwark:
The Real Truth the Iowa Caucuses Don't Want You to Know!
The Real Truth the Iowa Caucuses Don't Want You to Know!
Discussion:
Washington Post, Common Dreams and Raw Story
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Iowa Democratic chair calls for independent investigation into ‘what happened’
Iowa Democratic chair calls for independent investigation into ‘what happened’
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Breitbart, Associated Press, Jacobin, National Review, The Miscellanies, Newsy and Jezebel
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:
Slate, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The White House, The Last Refuge and Vox
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:
Associated Press, Raw Story, Vox, The Hill, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Law & Crime, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, IJR, The Daily Beast and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
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David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
Why Would a Billionaire Charge the Secret Service $650 a Night?
Why Would a Billionaire Charge the Secret Service $650 a Night?
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Hill
Politico:
DOJ drops probe of carmakers that aligned with California on pollution — The Justice Department has ended its antitrust investigation of automakers who formed a voluntary deal with California to reduce air pollution — a probe that was one of a series of punitive Trump administration actions …
Discussion:
Associated Press and The Hill
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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:
Breitbart, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, NB Blog, The Intercept, Vanity Fair and Twitchy
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
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Age of Decadence — Cut the drama. The real story of the West in the 21st century is one of stalemate and stagnation. — An Opinion columnist and the author of the forthcoming book “The Decadent Society,” from which this essay is adapted. — Everyone knows that we live …
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, Fox News, The Independent, Page Six, The Wrap, KTLA, The Daily Caller, Law & Crime and Jezebel
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Here's a new abuse of power by Trump that should alarm you — The big danger emerging from President Trump's acquittal isn't just that he has learned his whole party is unprepared to constrain any future abuse of power he undertakes. It's that he has learned his party will …
VICE:
Docs: Shadow Inc. Directly Tied to Left-Wing Media Operation — A company called Shadow earned instant infamy this week when an app it created to tabulate the results of the Iowa caucuses led to a statewide meltdown that has thrown the Democratic presidential campaign into disarray.
Discussion:
Margins and The Outline
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Collins says it would not be appropriate for Trump to retaliate against impeachment witnesses — Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of two Republicans to vote last week to subpoena additional witnesses and extend the impeachment trial, said Friday that she would disapprove of President Trump retaliating …
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John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Another Scandal at the DNC — Because of other disasters afflicting the Democratic Party in recent days, this story, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, hasn't gotten a lot of attention. But it fits with other recent instances of Democratic Party incompetence and worse: “Leaders of 2020 DNC Host Committee fired.”
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 …
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.
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 …
Discussion:
Fox News