memeorandum: Right-wing media figures try and fail to clock Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's patriotism for Drag Race appearance (Media Matters for America)

5:55 PM ET, February 13, 2020

Top Items:

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:

Barr blasts Trump's tweets on Stone case: ‘Impossible for me to do my job’: ABC News Exclusive — The attorney general spoke with ABC News Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas. — LIVE NOW — In an exclusive interview, Attorney General Bill Barr told ABC News on Thursday that President Donald Trump …

Katie Benner / New York Times:

After Trump's Attacks on Justice Dept., Barr Says He Will Not ‘Be Bullied’ — The attorney general said that the president's attacks on prosecutors' handling of his friend Roger Stone's sentencing undermine the legal system and the Justice Department. — WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Dispatch, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, CNN, ABC News, Raw Story, BizPac Review and The Week

Washington Post:

Barr pushes back against Trump's criticism of Justice Dept., says tweets ‘make it impossible for me to do my job’ — Attorney General William P. Barr pushed back hard Thursday against President Trump's criticism of the Justice Department, saying, “I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody.”

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and The Intercept

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:

Here's What The Lead Roger Stone Juror Said During Jury Selection — A former Democratic congressional candidate revealed Wednesday that she was the foreperson on the jury that convicted Roger Stone. — Tomeka Hart said during the jury selection process that she did not …

Discussion: Redstate, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, Cernovich, The Hill, The Federalist, JONATHAN TURLEY, Fox News, The Daily Memphian and The Commercial Appeal

Kaitlan Collins / CNN:
First on CNN: Jessie Liu resigns from Treasury after pulled nomination

Discussion: The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, New York Post, Vox, New York Times and Mediaite

Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:
Political journalists are sounding the alarm. They mustn't stop.

Discussion: Fox News, New York Times and The Independent

Patrick Reis / Rolling Stone:
Roger Stone Knows Trump's Secrets. That's Why He'll Avoid Prison

Discussion: Raw Story

Joshua Nelson / Fox News:
Judge Napolitano: Roger Stone should get new trial in light of juror's anti-Trump tweets

Discussion: Redstate, Breitbart, HuffPost, The Post Millennial, Raw Story and Law & Crime

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Everyone is focusing on the wrong part of William Barr's interview

Discussion: ABC News, The Gateway Pundit and The Guardian

NBC News:
Jessie Liu, ex-U.S. attorney who oversaw Roger Stone case, resigns from Trump administration

Discussion: The Last Refuge, American Oversight, Newsy, East Bay Times, The Daily Beast, Washington Monthly, Letters from an American, Raw Story and The Guardian

Windsor Mann / The Week:
The Don seizes the Justice Department

Discussion: Washington Post, Rolling Stone and Talking Points Memo

Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:

John Kelly Finally Lets Loose on Trump — MORRISTOWN, N.J.—Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council aide and impeachment witness President Donald Trump fired Friday, was just doing his job, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told students and guests …

William Westhoven / Daily Record:

Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly admits: ‘It was a killer’ working for Trump — MORRISTOWN — For more than an hour, Gen. John Kelly focused on the “Governance Versus Politics” topic promised during his speaking appearance Wednesday at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and Raw Story

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump floats halt to officials listening in on calls with foreign leaders

Discussion: Political Wire

LasVegasWeekly.com:

Our 2020 Nevada caucus endorsement: Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden — For all the talk of Democrats being divided along moderate-progressive ideological lines and for all the debate among party candidates on fractious issues like health care and immigration, poll after poll shows that the majority …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Mediaite and VodkaPundit

Politico:
Nevada's powerful Culinary Union declines to endorse a 2020 candidate

Discussion: Townhall

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
Why Bernie Sanders's fight with a Nevada union really matters

Discussion: CNN, Bloomberg and Washington Times

Monica Hesse / Washington Post:
You like Amy Klobuchar now? Remember that when your inner sexist starts doubting her.

Discussion: National Review, VICE and CBS Boston

Washington Post:
Only two recent major party nominees have lost both Iowa and New Hampshire

Discussion: The Hill and One America News Network

New York Times:

Justice Dept. Is Investigating C.I.A. Resistance to Sharing Russia Secrets — The prosecutor was assigned by the attorney general to scrutinize the agents and analysts who sought to understand Russia's covert operation to help Donald J. Trump win the 2016 election.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Ryan Grim / The Intercept:

Mike Bloomberg Is Hiring So Many Operatives, Local and State Campaigns Are Starving for Help — Jennifer Leeper was on her last night of maternity leave with her second boy when Donald Trump was declared winner of the 2016 presidential election. When she recovered from shock …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Twitchy, WMUR and Outside the Beltway

Rebecca R. Ruiz / New York Times:
The Bloomberg Campaign Is a Waterfall of Cash

Discussion: Townhall

Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
Michael Bloomberg's Campaign Suddenly Drops Memes Everywhere

Discussion: Power Line, Instapundit, New York Post, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Chicago Boyz, Breitbart, The Verge, BuzzFeed News, NB Blog, Washington Post, The Wrap, The Hill, Fox News, The Week, Axios, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Mashable, VICE, Mediaite, Gothamist, IJR and WTOP, more at Mediagazer »

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

Hope Hicks to Return to the White House After a Nearly Two-Year Absence — President Trump's former communications director will return as an aide to Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser. — Hope Hicks, a close aide to President Trump who resigned nearly two years ago …

Discussion: Axios, Slate, Deseret News, CNN, VICE, National Review, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Breitbart, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, The Wrap, The Week, Townhall, The American Independent and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

ABC News:
Hope Hicks returning to Trump White House as senior adviser

Discussion: Townhall, Politico, Associated Press, Joe.My.God. and The Hill

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Sanders Cements Front-Runner Status After New Hampshire Win — Vermont senator expands lead over Biden to 10 points — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) takes the stage on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Manchester, N.H. New polling shows the senator cementing his status as the race's front-runner.

Discussion: National Review, Axios, Bern Notice, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Joe.My.God., Common Dreams, The Week and New Republic

Froma Harrop / The National Memo: Bernie Sanders Isn't Doing So Hot

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Bernie Sanders Isn't a Socialist

Discussion: Twitchy

Washington Post:

The president's rhetoric has changed the way hundreds of children are harassed in American classrooms, The Post found — Left: Students at Royal Oak Middle School in Michigan chant “Build the wall!” the day after the 2016 election. Students' faces blurred in provided video (Storyful).

Discussion: The Independent, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Politico:

Senate votes to limit Trump's military authority against Iran — The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution limiting President Donald Trump's authority to attack Iran without congressional approval, delivering the president another bipartisan foreign-policy rebuke and flexing its constitutional power over military actions.

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, Washington Post, Associated Press, HuffPost, The National Interest, NPR, New York Post, UPI, Daily Kos, IJR and Raw Story

Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
In Bipartisan Bid to Restrain Trump, Senate Passes Iran War Powers Resolution

Discussion: Vox, BuzzFeed News, JNS.org, PJ Media Home, POLITICUSUSA and The Week

Mairead McArdle / National Review: Senate Passes Resolution Limiting Trump's War Powers in Iran

Felix Salmon / Axios:

Judy Shelton vs. Fed independence — President Trump hasn't given up on his dream of politicizing the Fed. After failing to get Herman Cain and Stephen Moore onto the Fed's board of governors, his latest candidate is one of his former campaign advisers, Judy Shelton, who testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee today.

Discussion: Politico and New York Times

The Hill: Republicans expect Trump to withdraw controversial Fed nominee

Heather Long / Washington Post:
Trump's Fed nominee Judy Shelton could be in trouble as key GOP senators express concerns about ‘outlier’ views

Discussion: Mother Jones and UPI

Matt Fuller / HuffPost:

The Big Roadblock For Bernie Sanders' Agenda — Moderates shouldn't be too scared of a Sanders presidency when all Republicans and most Democrats in Congress publicly oppose “Medicare for All.” — WASHINGTON ― It's no exaggeration to say the biggest flashpoint in the Democratic …

Discussion: Axios and Twitchy

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Trump accused of another quid pro quo, this time with New York — President Donald Trump appeared Thursday to link his administration's policies toward New York to a demand that the state drop investigations and lawsuits related to his administration as well as his personal business and finances.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Political Wire, The American Independent, Raw Story and Twitchy

Adele Ankers / IGN:

NASA Spots ‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid Rapidly Approaching Earth — Asteroid alert! — NASA has confirmed that an asteroid larger than the tallest man-made structure in the world is currently travelling towards Earth at a speed of almost 34,000 miles per hour.

Discussion: WHDH-TV

Matthew Rozsa / Salon:

President Trump rehires Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer to White House roles — Since leaving the West Wing, Spicer competed on “Dancing With the Stars” and Priebus joined the U.S. Navy — President Donald Trump has rehired his former chief of staff Reince Priebus and former press secretary …

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and BizPac Review

Media Matters for America:

Right-wing media figures try and fail to clock Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's patriotism for Drag Race appearance — Ocasio-Cortez responds: “They can go back to Party City” … RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BRIANNA JANUARY & ALEX PATERSON — Right-wing media figures including Turning …

Discussion: NB Blog, The Wrap and The Daily Caller

Politico:

Pentagon to shift $3.8B for fighter planes, ships toward border wall — The Trump administration plans to sap money intended to build fighter jets, ships, vehicles and National Guard equipment in order to fund barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon told Congress on Thursday …

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press, Mother Jones, POLITICUSUSA and One America News Network

Megan Messerly / The Nevada Independent:

Nevada Democrats reveal Google Forms-based plan for transmitting early vote data, caucus results — Nevada Democratic Party volunteer name tags at a Reno rally on Thurs., Oct. 25, 2018. (David Calvert/The Nevada Independent) — Nevada Democrats will use a Google Forms-based calculator accessible through …

Discussion: The National Memo

Bernard Condon / Associated Press:

Trump's story about veteran's comeback was not quite true — NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Rankins, a formerly homeless, drug-addicted Army veteran, got a standing ovation at the State of the Union after President Donald Trump described how he turned his life around thanks to a construction job …

Wall Street Journal:

Jeff Bezos Buys David Geffen's Los Angeles Mansion for a Record $165 Million — The Amazon CEO also bought a plot of land from the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for $90 million — Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has purchased the Warner Estate from media mogul David Geffen for $165 million …