Top Items:
Glenn Platt / Washington Post:
Trump's purge just got much more corrupt. Here's what's coming next. — President Trump's abrupt decision to remove the inspector general of the State Department constitutes the latest in a string of corrupt efforts to remove public servants who prioritize real oversight and accountability over protecting Trump at all costs.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Times, Raw Story and Patterico's Pontifications
RELATED:
Carol Morello / Washington Post:
Pompeo says he didn't know fired inspector general was investigating him — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that he asked President Trump to fire the State Department inspector general because his work was “undermining” the department's mission, but he declined to describe any specific concerns.
Discussion:
Law & Crime
NBC News:
Saudi arms sale was a second area of investigation for fired State Department watchdog — The inspector general was looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's decision to greenlight the sale against the will of Congress when he was abruptly removed from his post.
Discussion:
IJR, POLITICUSUSA, Talking Points Memo and CNBC
Washington Post:
Fired inspector general was examining whether Pompeo had a staffer walk his dog, handle dry cleaning, official says
Fired inspector general was examining whether Pompeo had a staffer walk his dog, handle dry cleaning, official says
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, The Root, Columbia Journalism Review, Redstate, Fox News, Axios, Mediaite and NBC News, more at Mediagazer »
Zachary Cohen / CNN:
Democrats claim watchdog fired by Trump was probing Pompeo's fast-tracking of $8 billion Saudi arms sale
Democrats claim watchdog fired by Trump was probing Pompeo's fast-tracking of $8 billion Saudi arms sale
Discussion:
Washington Post and Raw Story
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Hypocrisy watch: Republicans who championed inspectors general under Obama stand by as Trump purges them
Hypocrisy watch: Republicans who championed inspectors general under Obama stand by as Trump purges them
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Breitbart and Chuck Grassley
HuffPost:
Fired Inspector General Was Probing Pompeo Over Saudi Arms Deal, Mistreating Staffer: Reports
Fired Inspector General Was Probing Pompeo Over Saudi Arms Deal, Mistreating Staffer: Reports
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN and American Greatness
Nick Valencia / CNN:
Senior CDC official rebukes White House trade adviser's criticism as tensions escalate over reopening strategy — (CNN)A senior official from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday offered a pointed rebuke of White House trade adviser Peter Navarro's scathing criticism …
Discussion:
New York Post, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Washington Post
RELATED:
Libby Cathey / ABC News:
Coronavirus government response updates: Top Trump officials clash over whether the CDC ‘let the country down’
Coronavirus government response updates: Top Trump officials clash over whether the CDC ‘let the country down’
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, NBC News and New York Post
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump officials deflect blame for US death toll, escalate reopening push
Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
Barr says he does not expect Obama or Biden will be investigated by prosecutor reviewing 2016 Russia probe — Attorney General William P. Barr said Monday that he did not expect the prosecutor he handpicked to review the 2016 FBI investigation into President Trump's campaign …
RELATED:
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
This is why Trump is back to attacking Obama
This is why Trump is back to attacking Obama
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, National Review, Contemptor and NBC News
CNN:
Barr doesn't expect review of Russia probe will ‘lead to a criminal investigation’ of Obama and Biden
Barr doesn't expect review of Russia probe will ‘lead to a criminal investigation’ of Obama and Biden
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Barr says he does not expect criminal investigation of Obama or Biden as result of Durham probe
Barr says he does not expect criminal investigation of Obama or Biden as result of Durham probe
Discussion:
Associated Press and The Hill
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
US lockdown protests may have spread virus widely, cellphone data suggests — Devices associated with protesters travelled up to hundreds of miles after rallies where few precautions were taken — Cellphone location data suggests that demonstrators at anti-lockdown protests …
Discussion:
Common Dreams and POLITICUSUSA
New York Times:
F.B.I. Finds Links Between Pensacola Gunman and Al Qaeda — The gunman in December's shooting, a Saudi cadet who had trained with the U.S. military, had been in contact with the terrorist group, officials said. — WASHINGTON — The gunman in last year's deadly shooting at a military base …
Discussion:
Axios and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
CNN:
FBI finds al Qaeda link after breaking encryption on Pensacola attacker's iPhone
FBI finds al Qaeda link after breaking encryption on Pensacola attacker's iPhone
Discussion:
National Review and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
CBS News:
Saudi shooter in Florida air base attack had “significant ties” to al Qaeda, Barr says
Saudi shooter in Florida air base attack had “significant ties” to al Qaeda, Barr says
Discussion:
Raw Story, IJR, The Daily Caller and Sara A. Carter
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
Official: FBI finds link between Pensacola gunman, al-Qaida
Official: FBI finds link between Pensacola gunman, al-Qaida
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Florida Politics and The Hill
Denise Grady / New York Times:
Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Shows Promising Early Results — The company said its preliminary test in 8 healthy volunteers was safe. It is on an accelerated timetable to begin a larger human trial soon. — The first coronavirus vaccine to be tested in people appears to be safe …
Discussion:
CNBC, Townhall, Washington Post, Gothamist, Common Dreams, Daily Kos and Mediaite
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Barr installs top DOJ aide, prosecutor of Trump's Mar-a-Lago trespasser, as deputy over U.S. prosecutors in Washington — Attorney General William P. Barr has installed a new top deputy over the federal prosecutor's office for Washington, raising concerns that a key U.S. attorney's office …
RELATED:
Michael Balsamo / Associated Press:
Source: Trump admin. to name new DEA head, US attorney in DC
Source: Trump admin. to name new DEA head, US attorney in DC
Discussion:
The Hill
CNN:
Former Australian PM calls out the ‘Murdoch mafia’ — Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister of Australia, argues that Rupert Murdoch's media empire is a “cancer on democracy” in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, using “mafia"-like intimidation tactics against dissenting voices.
Yaron Steinbuch / New York Post:
Man who called coronavirus ‘fake crisis’ gets infected, issues warning — A Florida man who initially believed the coronavirus is a “fake crisis” that was “blown out of proportion” is now hospitalized along with his wife — and is sounding a cautionary note about the deadly bug.
Discussion:
KFOR-TV
Joan E Greve / The Guardian:
Democrats feel tide turning their way in battle to flip US Senate — The electoral map does not favor Republicans and the pandemic has helped put them on defense in states they once thought safe — Just three months ago, centrist Democrats were panicking.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Michael Wines / New York Times:
Freed by Court Ruling, Republicans Step Up Effort to Patrol Voting — Officials seek to recruit 50,000 poll watchers and spend millions to fight voter fraud. Democrats say the real goal is to stop them from voting. — WASHINGTON — Six months before a presidential election in which turnout …
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Swing-state Republicans warn Trump's reelection is on shaky ground — Donald Trump has made clear he will attack Joe Biden unmercifully in order to ensure the election is a choice between him and Joe Biden — rather than an up-or-down vote on the president's handling of the coronavirus.
Discussion:
The Hill, Big League Politics and Raw Story
Bloomberg:
Over 100 Million in China's Northeast Face Renewed Lockdown — Conditions return to height of China's epidemic in February — Frustration as restrictions tighten again after earlier easing — Some 108 million people in China's northeast region are being plunged back under lockdown conditions …
Discussion:
Gizmodo
Dexter Filkins / New Yorker:
The Twilight of the Iranian Revolution — For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei has professed enmity with America. Now his regime is threatened from within the country. — One night last December, the chief resident physician at a hospital in the Iranian city of Gorgan was asked to consult on a baffling case …
CBS News:
Full Transcript: Fed Chair Jerome Powell's 60 Minutes interview on economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic — Jerome Powell lays out his thoughts on getting the economy back to its pre-coronavirus numbers. The transcript from the Federal Reserve chairman's interview with Scott Pelley.
Discussion:
CNBC, HuffPost, Fox News, IJR, Just The News, New York Post, The American Independent, Axios and Politico
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Is Ronan Farrow Too Good to Be True? — He has delivered revelatory reporting on some of the defining stories of our time. But a close examination reveals the weaknesses in what may be called an era of resistance journalism. — It was a breathtaking story, written by The New Yorker's marquee reporter …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, The Wrap, The Intercept and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The media is helping Trump turn the bogus ‘Obamagate’ into the 2020 version of Clinton's emails — It's becoming clear that journalists never fully reckoned with the mistakes of 2016 campaign coverage. We know this because they seem poised to repeat them.
Discussion:
Daily Kos and The Philadelphia Inquirer, more at Mediagazer »