Top Items:
The Daily Beast:
Trump Got Tons of Campaign Cash Before Handing Out Pardon — “I watched his wife on television,” Trump said of his decision to pardon Blago after seeing his spouse on Fox. The network seems to have influenced several of Tuesday's pardons. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted clemency …
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Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:
The Trouble with Donald Trump's Clemencies and Pardons — Authoritarianism is usually associated with a punitive spirit—a leader who prosecutes and incarcerates his enemies. But there is another side to this leadership style. Authoritarians also dispense largesse, but they do it by their own whims …
Discussion:
HuffPost, New York Times, PJ Media Home, New Republic and Rolling Stone
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
I Covered Blago's Trial From Start To Finish. Trump's Commutation Isn't Crazy.
I Covered Blago's Trial From Start To Finish. Trump's Commutation Isn't Crazy.
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, NBC News and The Gateway Pundit
CNN:
Top Pentagon policy official expected to depart administration — (CNN)The Pentagon's top policy official is expected to depart his post soon, according to two sources familiar with the matter. John Rood, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, lost support among senior …
Discussion:
Politico
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Bloomberg:
Pentagon Policy Chief in Ukraine-Aid Case Exits Under Pressure — Under Secretary Rood said to have faced pressure to resign — Rood is latest in a wave of Trump administration departures — John Rood has stepped down as the top policy official at the Defense Department, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Leo Shane III / Military Times:
Veterans coalition condemns Trump's continued attacks on Army officer who testified against him
Veterans coalition condemns Trump's continued attacks on Army officer who testified against him
Discussion:
Raw Story
Savannah Behrmann / USA Today:
Bernie Sanders says he won't release full medical records — WASHINGTON - Bernie Sanders said Tuesday night that he is not planning to release any additional medical records. — Sanders, 78, suffered a heart attack in October during a campaign event. He had a blockage in one artery …
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Mike Allen / Axios:
Bloomberg camp's “dire” warning: Bernie Sanders will soon be unstoppable
Bloomberg camp's “dire” warning: Bernie Sanders will soon be unstoppable
Discussion:
Associated Press
Megan McArdle / Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders is not just a garden-variety social democrat
Bernie Sanders is not just a garden-variety social democrat
Discussion:
Fox News, Marginal REVOLUTION and Project Syndicate
Washington Post:
Sanders surges into national lead in new Post-ABC poll — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), on the strength of his performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, has surged nationally and now holds a sizable lead over all of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
NBC News, National Review, Mediaite and Slate
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Tyler Olson / Fox News:
Sanders takes double-digit lead in new national poll, as Biden crumbles and Bloomberg rises
Sanders takes double-digit lead in new national poll, as Biden crumbles and Bloomberg rises
Discussion:
Politico, The Nation and The Hill
ABC News:
Democrat Pete Buttigieg overstated pledges of support from black leaders, public figures
Democrat Pete Buttigieg overstated pledges of support from black leaders, public figures
Discussion:
HuffPost, New York Post and Fox News
Mark Murray / NBC News:
NBC News/WSJ poll: Sanders opens up double-digit national lead in primary race
NBC News/WSJ poll: Sanders opens up double-digit national lead in primary race
Discussion:
Associated Press, Sacramento Bee, NPR, Axios, The Independent, The Week, The Nevada Independent, Fox News, Mediaite, The Hill, Politico, Bloomberg and The Wrap
Associated Press:
AP source: Barr tells people he might quit over Trump tweets — WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has told people close to him he's considering quitting his post after President Donald Trump wouldn't heed his warning to stop tweeting about Justice Department cases, an administration official told The Associated Press.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Fox News, CNN, New York Post, PJ Media Home, TheBlaze, Axios and Washington Post
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ABC News:
Barr mulls resigning over Trump's tweets: Sources — Barr previously said that Trump's tweets make it “impossible” to do his job. — Just hours after President Donald Trump openly defied his public pleas to stop tweeting about criminal matters in the Justice Department …
Discussion:
The White House, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Deseret News and Talking Points Memo
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump's pardon spree deepens crisis gripping American justice
Trump's pardon spree deepens crisis gripping American justice
Discussion:
The Hill
Wall Street Journal:
China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters — China's Foreign Ministry says move was punishment for a recent opinion piece published by the Journal — China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time in the post-Mao era …
Discussion:
New York Times, National Review, VICE, Washington Post, The Hill, globaltimes.cn, CNBC and Axios, more at Mediagazer »
Molly Hensley-Clancy / BuzzFeed News:
Why Elizabeth Warren Got Dropped From A Poll Question About General Election Matchups — Elizabeth Warren was left out of a national poll question Tuesday that pitted Democratic candidates against Donald Trump, angering supporters who have protested that the media has erased her candidacy …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Instapundit, Daily Kos, The Week and New York Times
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Michael Finnegan / Los Angeles Times:
Bernie Sanders takes wide lead in California primary, new poll finds — Bernie Sanders has opened a wide lead in California's Democratic presidential primary, and four rivals are virtually tied for a distant second place, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Quint Forgey / Politico:
New poll shows Bernie with another double-digit lead over Dem field
New poll shows Bernie with another double-digit lead over Dem field
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
Devan Cole / CNN:
Andrew Yang joins CNN as a political commentator — Yang: I will support whoever the Democratic nominee is — Washington (CNN)Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is joining CNN as a political commentator, the network announced Wednesday.
The Hill:
The Hill's review of John Solomon's columns on Ukraine — On Nov. 18, 2019, The Hill announced it was reviewing John Solomon's opinion columns on Ukraine after State Department diplomats criticized several of those columns during House impeachment hearings.
Dominic Holden / BuzzFeed News:
Mike Bloomberg Once Again Called Transgender People “It” And “Some Guy Wearing A Dress” — Bloomberg suggested transgender rights would sink Democratic campaigns in comments recorded last year in New York. He's tried to distance himself from similar comments he made in 2016.
Discussion:
NBC News, Axios, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, TheBlaze, LGBTQ Nation, Eater, Fox News, Florida Politics, Redstate, Vanity Fair, New York Post, Washington Post, Washington Times, Twitchy, National Review, The Daily Caller, Detroit Metro Times, Balloon Juice, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Raw Story and Mother Jones, more at Mediagazer »
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Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
Michael Bloomberg Has to Debate Without a Net
Michael Bloomberg Has to Debate Without a Net
Discussion:
Fox News
Jay Weaver / Miami Herald:
Mexican accused of being Russian agent after photographing U.S. informant's car in Miami — As he stood in Miami federal court, Hector Cabrera Fuentes didn't exactly look like an “international man of mystery.” — But Cabrera, a short and stocky Mexican citizen, was charged Tuesday with being an …
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Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:
Klobuchar tries to explain forgetting Mexican president and mispronounces his name — Amy Klobuchar offered an excuse on why she couldn't name the Mexican president in an interview with Telemundo, clapping back at Pete Buttigieg, who has turned her blunder into a punchline on the campaign trail.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Klobuchar gets second chance to name Mexico's president
Klobuchar gets second chance to name Mexico's president
Discussion:
NBC News
Julia Azari / Washington Post:
It's time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president — Julia Azari is an associate professor and assistant chair in the Department of Political Science at Marquette University. This is the third op-ed in a series about how to improve the presidential nominating process.
Discussion:
Townhall and The Daily Caller
Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Buttigieg blasts Trump: My marriage never involved ‘hush money’ — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg invoked President Donald Trump's porn star scandal Tuesday, reviving a line of attack that helped catapult his longshot campaign into a viable contender last year.
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Kathleen Ronayne / Associated Press:
Bloomberg would sell business interests if elected president — Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a campaign rally at the Buffalo Soldier Museum in Houston, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stands at right.
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Axios, HuffPost, Deadline, Breitbart and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »
Chris Kahn / Reuters:
Exclusive: Ahead of 2020 election, a ‘Blue Wave’ is rising in the cities, polling analysis shows — NEW YORK (Reuters) - As Republican President Donald Trump seeks a second term in November, Americans' interest in voting is growing faster in large cities dominated by Democrats …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump campaign hires alum of controversial data company — President Donald Trump's campaign is bringing on an alum of the controversial data firm Cambridge Analytica, a move likely to raise alarms among Trump critics and data privacy advocates who worry the president will push the technological envelope to get reelected in 2020.
Discussion:
Raw Story and 20 Minutes into the Future
Siobhan Hughes / Wall Street Journal:
Susan Collins Faces Tough Re-Election Race in Maine, Poll Suggests — Survey shows her slightly behind expected Democratic rival in November race — WASHINGTON—The polarized political climate is taking a toll on Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), who is facing a competitive race …
Discussion:
The Hill, Mother Jones, Bangor Daily News and Axios