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:
The Last Refuge, New York Times, The Week, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA and Daily Kos
RELATED:
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, Axios, New Republic, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post and POLITICUSUSA
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, Associated Press, HuffPost, 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, Fox News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog 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:
Live updates: Trump fires Gordon Sondland, the second impeachment witness to be removed from his post Friday
Live updates: Trump fires Gordon Sondland, the second impeachment witness to be removed from his post Friday
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, The Hill 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, Associated Press, Washington Post, 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, TheBlaze, PJ Media Home, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Twitchy, Fox News, National Review 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
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:
The Hill, Bloomberg and The Boston Globe
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ABC News:
ABC News Democratic debate live updates: How to get big money out of politics
ABC News Democratic debate live updates: How to get big money out of politics
Discussion:
The Federalist, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, The Hill, The Week, New York Post and Columbia Journalism Review, more at Mediagazer »
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
Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Has a Pete Buttigieg Problem
Elizabeth Warren Has a Pete Buttigieg Problem
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite and New York Magazine
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
RELATED:
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
The nagging detail about job growth Trump probably won't like — The New York Times ran a report this morning on the latest jobs data, and the White House probably appreciated the political framing. … Well, sort of. As we discussed this morning, the latest report from the Bureau …
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:
New York Post, The Daily Caller, Redstate, The Week, The Daily Beast and COURIER
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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
Politico:
Iowa blowback scorches Tom Perez
Iowa blowback scorches Tom Perez
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, Fox News, IJR, American Prospect, CNN and New York Times
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Iowa Democratic chair calls for independent investigation into ‘what happened’
Iowa Democratic chair calls for independent investigation into ‘what happened’
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, The Hill, Breitbart, National Review, Jacobin, 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, The White House, Raw Story, 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, Law & Crime, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, IJR, The Daily Beast and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
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
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:
Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, NB Blog, The Intercept, 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, Fox News, The Independent, Page Six, KTLA, The Wrap, The Daily Caller, Law & Crime 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
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.”
Discussion:
Shadowproof
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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
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
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