memeorandum: After McClatchy bankruptcy, reporter Julie K. Brown urges Americans to subscribe to local newspapers (Clare Duffy/CNN)

4:15 AM ET, February 17, 2020

Top Items:

Daniel Dale / CNN:

Trump campaign manager deletes dramatic Air Force One photo after people point out it's from 2004 — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's campaign manager deleted a tweet featuring a dramatic photo of Air Force One at the Daytona 500 after users pointed out that the shot …

Discussion: HuffPost, Raw Story and The Hill

Ashley Feinberg / Slate:

Meet the Man Who Tweeted “It's Lis,” Who Is Not Lis Smith — One could be forgiven for a bit of skepticism where Pete Buttigieg's campaign and its supporters are concerned. This is a politician who claimed to have no knowledge of or involvement in the editing of his Wikipedia presence …

Ellen Cranley / Business Insider:

A senior adviser for Pete Buttigieg was accused of running a fake Nigerian supporter account, but the man who created it says it's a big misunderstanding — Lis Smith, a senior communications adviser for Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign, was accused of running a fake account that appeared to be a Nigerian Buttigieg supporter.

Ali Breland / Mother Jones:

We Talked to the Man Behind That Nigerian Pete Buttigieg Fan Account. It's Not Lis Smith. — “It's very stressful. It's almost midnight here and I've just been dealing with controversies all day,” said a man claiming to behind the @easychinedu account, a pro-Pete Buttigieg account …

Jane Lytvynenko / BuzzFeed News:
A Nigerian Man Is Actually Behind That Pro-Pete Buttigieg Twitter Account

Discussion: Mediaite and Twitchy

Scott Pelley / CBS News:

Why President Trump asked Ukraine to look into a DNC “server” and CrowdStrike — The consensus view of the CIA, NSA, FBI and a Senate investigation is that Russians interfered in the 2016 election. But those findings don't line up with the ever-evolving story President Trump has been telling about Ukraine.

Tony Katz / 93.1 WIBC:

New York Times Has An Issue With Trump's Daytona 500 Appearance — BLOG > TONY KATZ > MORNING NEWS > NEW YORK TIMES HAS AN ISSUE WITH TRUMP'S DAYTONA 500 APPEARANCE — Air Force One flew low, just 800 ft above the massive crowd gearing up to watch the 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

Discussion: Breitbart, Townhall and PJ Media Home

David Edwards / Raw Story: ‘Communist’ FOX network angers Trump fans at Daytona 500 by cutting to commercial as he begins speech

Kevin Freking / Associated Press:
Trump taking in Daytona 500 before heading West

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and Breitbart

Axios:

Inside the Trump campaign's big hedge on Facebook — The Trump campaign has invested most of its advertising budget to date on Facebook, testing thousands of versions of ads per day to maximize its spending. — But behind the scenes, a source familiar with the campaign tells Axios …

Jeff Dunetz / The Lid:

1990 Bloomberg L.P. Employees Created A Book Of His Offensive Quotes (Embedded) — On February 14th, 1990 for Michael Bloomberg's 48th birthday, staffers at Bloomberg L.P celebrated their boss' most famous offensive quips and anecdotes by creating a pamphlet and presenting him with a leather-bound copy.

Discussion: Reason and Instapundit

Alayna Treene / Axios:

Trump's revenge tour has the House in its sights — In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections — buoyed by Republican control of both chambers — President Trump viewed campaigning for the House as a lower-tier priority and instead poured his energy into rallying for the Senate.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

Senate braces for fight over impeachment whistleblower testimony — Senators are reviving the fight over the whistleblower complaint at the center of the months-long impeachment effort against President Trump. — With Trump's trial in the rearview mirror, the Senate Intelligence Committee …

Shant Shahrigian / New York Daily News:

Topless protesters storm stage as Bernie Sanders campaigns in Nevada — A group of protesters blew their tops — literally — as Sen. Bernie Sanders was campaigning in Carson City, Nev., on Sunday. — The Democratic presidential hopeful had just finished introducing his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders as …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Joyce White Vance / TIME:

If William Barr Truly Believed in Rule of Law, He Would Resign — Vance is distinguished professor of the practice of law at the University of Alabama, a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst. — “Nothing could be more destructive …

Discussion: Raw Story

Katie Benner / New York Times:
Former Justice Dept. Lawyers Press for Barr to Step Down

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Letters from an American, The Gateway Pundit, Redstate, The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Law & Crime and NBC News

Jacob Knutson / Axios:
Over 1,100 former DOJ officials call for Barr's resignation

Discussion: HuffPost, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, NPR, Politico and The Hill

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

Top Mueller prosecutor: DOJ starting new investigation into James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok — One of Robert Mueller's former top prosecutors said the outside prosecutor picked to review the case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is a ruse to investigate President Trump's perceived enemies.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Redstate, PJ Media Home and TheBlaze

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
‘Something has to be done’: Trump's quest to rewrite history of the Russia probe

Discussion: Raw Story

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:
Why Wasn't Andrew McCabe Charged?

Discussion: Redstate, Big League Politics, The Daily Caller and The Guardian

Clare Duffy / CNN:

After McClatchy bankruptcy, reporter Julie K. Brown urges Americans to subscribe to local newspapers — New York (CNN Business)The shrinking presence of local news across the United States may be dividing the country, Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown said Sunday on CNN's Reliable Sources.

Discussion: Florida Politics

Rishika Dugyala / Politico:

Trump attends wedding of Stephen Miller — President Donald Trump attended the wedding of senior adviser Stephen Miller on Sunday evening, according to the White House. — The wedding took place in one of the president's hotels, just blocks away from the White House …

Evie Fordham / Fox Business:

China ‘still lying’ about coronavirus outbreak: Sen. Tom Cotton — Cotton called for a “targeted travel ban” on flights from China to the U.S. in late January — Sen. Tom Cotton said Sunday that China is “still lying” about the gravity of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 1,660 people.

Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times:

California to apologize officially for historical mistreatment of Japanese Americans — For decades, Japanese American activists have marked Feb. 19 as a day to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in this nation's history. — On that date in 1942, during World War II …

Discussion: HuffPost

Laura Barrón-López / Politico:

‘A complete disaster’: Fears grow over potential Nevada caucus malfunction — Anxiety is rising over the possibility of another tech-induced meltdown at the Nevada Democratic caucuses on Saturday. — In interviews, three caucus volunteers described serious concerns about rushed preparations …

Discussion: PJ Media Home, The Mahablog and The Nevada Independent

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Democrats Plan to Highlight Health Care and Jobs Over Investigating Trump — With impeachment behind them and an eye on November, Democrats appear to have decided that focusing on President Trump's norm-shattering words and deeds only elevates him. — WASHINGTON — House Democrats …

Houston Chronicle:

We recommend Amy Klobuchar in Democratic primary for president [Editorial] — It's difficult to watch even now — that graceless moment during Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation when he cracked under pressure, shattering the fine shell of judicial temperament and hurling contempt at a senator across the room.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money