memeorandum: Collins says it would not be appropriate for Trump to retaliate against impeachment witnesses (Alexander Bolton/The Hill)

10:15 AM ET, February 8, 2020

Top Items:

Exclusive NH Tracking Poll: Buttigieg Takes Lead Over Sanders In Tight New Hampshire Race — BOSTON (CBS) - Pete Buttigieg continued his rise in Friday night's exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, for the first time taking a narrow lead that falls within the survey's 4.4% margin of error.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News and Washington Post

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Bernie Sanders showed us he's a very skilled politician — Sen. Bernie Sanders walks onstage as he arrives for the Democratic debate on February 7, 2020. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images — He's a much savvier operator than the establishment gives him credit for.

Discussion: The Federalist, Politico, Breitbart, Outside the Beltway, ABC News and The Week

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Winners and losers from the New Hampshire Democratic debate — The Democratic presidential primary entered a new phase Friday night, with the Iowa results finally all in and the candidates debating in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's primary. — Below, some winners and losers. — Winners

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Beast and Bern Notice

The Boston Globe:

Buttigieg opens slight lead over Sanders in N.H., Globe/WBZ/Suffolk poll shows — Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg has moved slightly ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, besting the Vermont independent by 1 percentage point among likely Democratic presidential primary voters …

Discussion: Politico

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC News/Marist poll: Sanders, Buttigieg continue to lead in New Hampshire — Just days away from the first-in-the-nation primary, Sanders holds a narrow lead but Buttigieg has seen enthusiasm for his candidacy rise. — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg remain atop …

Discussion: Politico, One America News Network, The Hill, Bloomberg and The Boston Globe

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:

Klobuchar takes aim at Buttigieg in ABC News debate in New Hampshire — “I'm not a political newcomer with no record,” she added. — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar didn't speak the most among rivals at Friday night's ABC News Democratic debate, but more than anyone else she went after former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Discussion: New York Times and Breitbart

Axios:

Bloomberg's big bet on massive campaign spending — Data: Advertising Analytics, FEC; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios — Michael Bloomberg's prolific spending aims to make him as legitimate and familiar as his rivals. It also confronts two realities: President Trump is out-raising …

Discussion: Ballotpedia News, Washington Post and The Hill

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: Mediaite and The Guardian

Niall Stanage / The Hill:
Five takeaways: Fear of Trump hangs over Democratic debate

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Politico and NBC News

Alex Griswold / Washington Free Beacon:
Pete Buttigieg Refuses to Answer Half of NYT Foreign Policy Survey

Discussion: New York Times and New York Times

New York Times:
7 Takeaways From the Democratic Debate in New Hampshire

Discussion: Mother Jones and The Hill

Ryan Teague Beckwith / Bloomberg:
Team Clinton Hits Sanders Ahead of New Hampshire Primary

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN and The Daily Caller

New York Times:
How Pete Buttigieg Became the Surprise of the Iowa Caucuses

Discussion: Mediaite

David Weigel / Washington Post:
The Trailer: The stage is set. Will there be zingers?

Discussion: Breitbart, Associated Press, The Hill, Fox News, Axios, Politico and Common Dreams

The Hill:
Key House Democrat says Perez must go: 'He doesn't lead on anything'

Discussion: Fox News, Associated Press, New York Post, Redstate, Politico, The Week and Twitchy

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: Raw Story, BizPac Review, The Wrap, Mediaite, The Minnesota Sun, The Gateway Pundit, Mother Jones, Financial Times, The Week, The Guardian, The Last Refuge, Axios, Press Herald, New York Post and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:
Trump ousts Vindman and Sondland, punishing key impeachment witnesses in post-acquittal campaign of retribution

Discussion: Raw Story, The Hill and Vox

David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Friday Night Massacre's Just the Beginning for Acquitted Trump

Discussion: Raw Story

Eric Russell / Press Herald:
Sen. Collins says retribution against witnesses in impeachment process is inappropriate

Discussion: Raw Story, The Brussels Times, Vox, Mediaite, The Week, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Unprecedented, Jezebel and POLITICUSUSA

Alex Pappas / Fox News:
Trump ousts key impeachment figures Sondland, Vindman days after Senate acquittal

Discussion: Redstate and Townhall

NBC News:
Vindman, who provided key impeachment testimony, ‘escorted’ from White House, attorney says

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Hill, New York Daily News, Slate, Associated Press, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, New York Post, Newsy and Washington Post

Washington Post:
Trump fires Gordon Sondland, the second impeachment witness to be removed from his post Friday

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and The Hill

CNN:
Trump fires two major impeachment figures — Alexander Vindman and Gordon Sondland

Discussion: NPR, Raw Story, PJ Media Home, Rolling Stone, East Bay Times, The Gateway Pundit, Reuters, Common Dreams, The Federalist Papers, Law & Crime, POLITICUSUSA, Task & Purpose, Daily Kos, New York Post, The Guardian, Patterico's Pontifications and The Moderate Voice

Politico:
Impeachment witnesses ousted amid fears of Trump revenge campaign

Discussion: Vox, HuffPost, Raw Story, UPI, The Hill, The Resurgent, The Last Refuge, Associated Press, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Newsy, ABC News and Axios

Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:
Trump warns on impeachment payback: 'You'll see'

Discussion: The Hill, BizPac Review, Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg and Breitbart

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 …

Andrew Feinberg / The Independent: Trump is now free to take revenge against those who wronged him during impeachment.

Elizabeth Spiers / Washington Post:
Trump is the ultimate sore winner. Now he'll seek revenge.

Discussion: VTDigger, Law & Crime and The Daily Caller

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Trump used Philly girl's story to attack ‘failing government schools.’ But she's at one of the city's most desired charters. — President Donald Trump turned a Philadelphia fourth grader into a poster child for the school-choice movement Tuesday when he told the nation that thousands of students were …

New York Times:

Amy Klobuchar — Jamelle Bouie (7/10) — Klobuchar sounded confident and aggressive, willing and able to go after her competitors. Her defense of experience, in particular, was strong. More and more, she looks like a real alternative for moderate Democrats.

Coral Davenport / New York Times:

Justice Department Drops Antitrust Probe Against Automakers That Sided With California on Emissions — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has dropped its antitrust inquiry into four automakers that had sided with California in its dispute with the Trump administration over reducing climate …

Discussion: Axios, The Verge and Newsy

Politico:
DOJ drops probe of carmakers that aligned with California on pollution

Discussion: Associated Press and The Hill

Nancy Pelosi / Washington Post:

McConnell and the GOP Senate are accomplices to Trump's wrongdoing — Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, is speaker of the House of Representatives. — For more than 200 years, our republic has endured, not only because of the wisdom of our Founders and the brilliance of our Constitution …

Discussion: Raw Story, Mediaite, The Hill, Contemptor and HuffPost

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.”

Riham Feshir / MPR News:

Thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans face deportation under Trump proposal — In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Betty McCollum calls the plan ‘unconscionable’ — Advocates warn that a Trump administration proposal to deport thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans back to Laos …

Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier:

Steyer, Biden feud on debate stage over SC legislator's remarks about campaign payments — COLUMBIA — A dispute between South Carolina lawmakers over payments to one of them from a presidential campaign briefly became the center of attention during a nationally televised debate Friday night in New Hampshire.

Discussion: The Week