Top Items:
Katie Benner / New York Times:
Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General — Trying to find another avenue to push his baseless election claims, Donald Trump considered installing a loyalist. — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Trump entertained plan to install an attorney general who would help him pursue baseless election fraud claims — Then-President Donald Trump in early January entertained a plan to replace the acting attorney general with a different Justice Department lawyer who was more amenable to pursuing …
Discussion:
HotAir, East Bay Times, emptywheel, CNN, Raw Story and Mediaite
George T. Conway III / Washington Post:
Former president, private citizen and, perhaps, criminal defendant: … The question came out of the blue and has haunted me ever since. It was Jan. 17, 2017, three days before Donald Trump's swearing-in, and my wife and I sat with him in the near-empty main cabin aboard …
Discussion:
Raw Story, BuzzFeed News and Lawfare
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Kevin McCarthy: ‘Everybody Across This Country’ Is To Blame For Capitol Attack — Donald Trump is responsible for the Jan. 6 riot, but so are you, according to the House Republican leader. — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) attracted attention last week when he said in a floor speech …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New York Post
Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Giuliani concedes that an associate did ask for $20,000 a day to help Trump post-election. — Rudolph W. Giuliani, former President Donald J. Trump's personal lawyer, conceded on Friday night that an associate had sent an email to campaign officials asking that Mr. Giuliani be paid $20,000 …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Roger Sollenberger / Salon:
Sen. Tom Cotton campaigned on his “experience as an Army Ranger” — but he didn't have any — Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has accrued a resume tailor-made for a Republican politician: He leapt from a small-town Arkansas cattle farm to Harvard University and then Harvard Law School …
New York Times:
Navalny Protests: Live Updates as Mass Rallies Sweep Across Russia — The poisoning and arrest of Aleksei A. Navalny set off nationwide protests, beginning in the Far East, where people braved temperatures of minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Thousands gathered in central Moscow …
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Georgi Kantchev / Wall Street Journal:
Russia Detains Hundreds as Protesters Rally for Jailed Opposition Leader Navalny
Russia Detains Hundreds as Protesters Rally for Jailed Opposition Leader Navalny
Discussion:
National Review, Associated Press, New York Post, TheJournal.ie and Cyprus Mail
Tom Balmforth / Reuters:
Jailed Kremlin critic Navalny's supporters to rally for his release despite warnings
Jailed Kremlin critic Navalny's supporters to rally for his release despite warnings
Discussion:
Cyprus Mail
Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
Larry King, Breezy Interviewer of the Famous and Infamous, Dies at 87 — Over five decades, he chatted with an estimated 50,000 people from all walks of life, from presidents and pundits to swindlers and U.F.O. “experts.” — Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, UPROXX and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
How Alvin the Beagle Helped Usher in a Democratic Senate — Senator Raphael Warnock was sworn in this week as Georgia's first Black senator, and he arrived with a canny canine assist. — The dog had a lot of work to do. — He was co-starring in a political ad that had to showcase the candidate's good-natured warmth.
Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:
Criticized by science community and Trump, Deborah Birx said she ‘always’ considered quitting — Facing criticism from the administration she worked for and some in the scientific community, Deborah Birx, coordinator of the Trump White House's coronavirus response, “always” considered quitting her job …
RELATED:
Emily Tillett / CBS News:
Trump COVID task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says she “always” considered quitting
Trump COVID task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says she “always” considered quitting
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Forbes, Mediaite, The Guardian, Business Insider, HuffPost, The Independent, NBC News, The Hill, IJR and Washington Examiner
Caroline Kelly / CNN:
Birx: I always considered quitting Trump's White House Covid task force
Birx: I always considered quitting Trump's White House Covid task force
Discussion:
Politico
Colin Kalmbacher / Law & Crime:
Texas Supreme Court Silently Denies Alex Jones All Forms of Relief: Sandy Hook Families and Others Can Now Sue Conspiracy Theorist and InfoWars into the Ground — An empire built on conjecture, conspiracy and a series of fake homeopathic cures for various ailments stands to be sued into oblivion …
Discussion:
Austin American-Statesman, The Hill, Forbes, Political Wire and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Jane Mayer / New Yorker:
Why McConnell Dumped Trump — After the Capitol assault—and after losing his perch as Majority Leader—the senator finally denounced the outgoing President. Was it a moral reckoning or yet another act of political self-interest? — On the afternoon of January 6th …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Boston Globe, New Republic, CBS News, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Salon, Colorado Newsline and The Constitutionalist
Archie Bland / The Guardian:
Rolling Stone seeks ‘thought leaders’ willing to pay $2,000 to write for them — Emails from ‘best-known entertainment media outlet’ invite ‘Culture Council’ to pay for chance to publish on website — Rolling Stone magazine is offering “thought leaders” the chance to write for its website …
Margaret Talev / Axios:
Focus group: Former Trump voters say he should never hold office again — “Relief” is the top emotion some swing voters who used to support Donald Trump say they felt as they watched President Biden's swearing-in, followed by “hope.” — Why it matters: For voters on the bubble between parties …
Discussion:
The Guardian, American Thinker, Boston Herald and Raw Story
The Daily Beast:
MyPillow CEO Hires Gawker-Killing Lawyer to Go After Daily Mail for Jane Krakowski Affair Story — The tabloid story “damaged my integrity as a Christian,” Lindell said to The Daily Beast in confirming he has retained the Trump lawyer most infamous for taking on media outlets.
RELATED:
Deena Winter / Minnesota Reformer:
Mike Lindell's chaotic rise threatened by new adversity
Mike Lindell's chaotic rise threatened by new adversity
Discussion:
Associated Press
Amy S. Rosenberg / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
In Cape May County, questions over a local chapter of the Oath Keepers — CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. — The question posed at the Cape May County commissioners meeting Jan. 12 over Zoom by a lone member of the public took Commissioner Gerald Thornton by surprise.
Adam Ciralsky / Vanity Fair:
“The President Threw Us Under the Bus”: Embedding With Pentagon Leadership in Trump's Chaotic Last Week — Throughout the final, frenzied days of the Trump administration, a reporter rode shotgun with the outgoing acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, the man who …
Discussion:
Sputnik News, emptywheel and Raw Story
Kevin R. Brock / The Hill:
Should the FBI investigate Trump's claims of voter fraud? — An FBI investigation of whether fraudulent votes were cast in the 2020 election might be the only way to help placate a bitterly divided nation. — Joe Biden is president and that won't be overturned.
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Biden administration ousts Victoria Coates, who was falsely accused of being ‘Anonymous’ — Victoria Coates, who was hired as the president of the government-funded Middle East Broadcasting Networks in the waning days of Donald Trump's presidency, has been fired by the Biden administration, she told POLITICO.
Will Wilkinson / Model Citizen:
A New Era of Unity — Interested in penetrating, good-faith discourse and not misinterpreting jokes? Here's a great newsletter option for you! — 7 hr ago — In light of recent events, I've decided to spend more time with my family. — Seriously, though, can you spend …
Virginia Kruta / The Daily Caller:
‘I Was Lied To’: Meghan McCain Lashes Out At Biden, Fauci And Amazon Over COVID Hypocrisy — Meghan McCain lashed out Friday at President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Amazon, saying that everyone was sending mixed messages with regard to COVID-19. — McCain began a segment of ABC's …
Discussion:
Instapundit and Breitbart
Washington Post:
Biden sticks to vaccine goals nearly met by his predecessor — The accelerating pace of inoculations suggests he inherited a program poised to meet his target of 100 million doses in 100 days — When President Biden announced in early December that his administration would aim …
New York Times:
Trump's Last-Minute Pardon Frees Man Still Facing Accusations of Violence — Jonathan Braun's 10-year sentence for running a drug ring was commuted by the departing president. The White House did not mention that he faces separate accusations of violence and threats.
Discussion:
Check Your Fact
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Josh Hawley's ludicrous clean-up act is in full swing — Sen. Josh Hawley has a problem. The Missouri Republican thought he had cleverly spied an opening: He grabbed an early role as lead promoter of our former president's scheme to get his allies to overturn the election by objecting …
Discussion:
Iowa Capital Dispatch, Mother Jones, Off the Kuff, Mediaite and Morning Consult
Keith E. Whittington / Wall Street Journal:
Yes, the Senate Can Try Trump — Impeachment for former officials was the norm at the time of the founding. — One of the first questions the Senate will face in Donald Trump's impeachment trial is whether the chamber has jurisdiction to hear a case against a former official. The correct answer is yes.
Discussion:
Roll Call, Sputnik News, ABC7, Forbes, National Review, Axios and Washington Times
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Microsoft President Brad Smith explains how political contributions really work — Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company needs the Microsoft Political Action Committee. — The company is looking at whether to stop giving money to politicians who opposed the vote …
Discussion:
Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Alex Williams / New York Times:
Is That a Rolex on Biden's Wrist? — Recent presidents not named Trump have tended to wear Everyman timepieces such as Timex and Shinola. — President Biden may cast his arrival in the White House as a return to business as usual at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but there's at least …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Law & Crime:
‘Zip Tie Guy’ Who Invaded the Capitol with His Mom Ordered Released Before Trial — Spotted at the U.S. Capitol insurrection with his mother and hopping around the Senate while holding tactical restraints, so-called “zip tie guy” Eric Gavelek Munchel's image was blasted around the world on Jan. 6 …
Discussion:
emptywheel and Politico
Prime Minister of Canada:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with the President of the United States of America Joe Biden — Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden. The two leaders agreed to meet next month in order to advance the important work …
Discussion:
The Hill