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

7:50 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, Mother Jones, NBC News, ABC News, Raw Story, The Dispatch, HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, Rolling Stone and Twitchy

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Everyone is focusing on the wrong part of William Barr's interview — Barr telling Trump to stop tweeting allows him to distract attention from more central issues. — Attorney General William P. Barr offered his first public comments Thursday since a controversy erupted at the Justice Department this week.

Discussion: ABC News, National Review, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

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: Fox News, The Federalist Papers, Redstate, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review, HuffPost, The Hill, The Federalist, The Daily Memphian and Cernovich

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: Law & Crime, Joe.My.God. and The Intercept

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

Discussion: The Week, New York Times, USA Today and Fox News

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
As sentencing approaches, Roger Stone turns to former mob lawyer for help

Discussion: The National Memo, The Hill, Breitbart and Mediaite

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

Discussion: Raw Story

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

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

Sadie Gurman / Wall Street Journal: Attorney General Says Tweets Make It Impossible for Him to Do His Job

ABC News:
AG Barr blasts Trump's tweets: ABC News Exclusive

Discussion: Balkinization

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: Associated Press and Townhall

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

Discussion: Twitchy, National Review and VICE

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Las Vegas newspaper endorses Biden and Klobuchar, scorches ‘non-starter’ Sanders

Discussion: One America News Network

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Powerful Nevada union declines to endorse a candidate in Dem race in major snub to Biden

Discussion: Politico

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

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

Discussion: The Hill

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

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

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

Hunter Walker / Yahoo News:

Documents reveal DNC was ‘intimately involved’ in development of troubled Iowa caucus app — While the Democratic National Committee over the last 10 days has tried to distance itself from the troubled app that through the results of the Iowa caucus into disarray, a copy of the contract …

Discussion: Twitchy, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, FiveThirtyEight and New York Post

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

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

Discussion: Twitchy

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

Discussion: CNN, HuffPost and The Hill

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: Washington Post, 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

Alan Fram / Associated Press:

Limbaugh draws bipartisan condemnation for Buttigieg remarks — WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh drew bipartisan condemnation Thursday for saying the country won't elect Pete Buttigieg president because he's been “kissing his husband” on stage after debates.

Discussion: NBC News, Joe.My.God. and Breitbart

Masha Gessen / New Yorker:
The Queer Opposition to Pete Buttigieg, Explained

Discussion: San José Spotlight

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: The Hill, Washington Post, Deseret News, HuffPost, NPR, New York Post, The National Interest, Raw Story, The American Independent, One America News Network, Daily Kos, Associated Press and UPI

Marisa Schultz / Fox News:
Senate passes measure to curb Trump's war powers in rare bipartisan vote

Discussion: Axios

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

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 …

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, Political Wire, The Hill, Raw Story, The American Independent and Twitchy

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: Washington Post, Politico and New York Times

The Hill: Republicans expect Trump to withdraw controversial Fed nominee

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 …

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

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: BizPac Review and Joe.My.God.

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