memeorandum: U.S. Forces Expand Reach in Saudi Arabia (Gordon Lubold/Wall Street Journal)

5:10 PM ET, January 25, 2021

Top Items:

Jason Williams / Cincinnati.com:

Ohio's U.S. Sen. Rob Portman won't run for re-election; Republican cites ‘partisan gridlock’ — Republican Rob Portman will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate in 2022, he told The Enquirer - a move that will unsettle politics in both Greater Cincinnati and Washington D.C.

Politico:

Portman's exit signals uncertainty for Senate GOP — Ohio Republican Rob Portman will not seek a third Senate term in 2022, a blow to both Republicans' hopes of taking back the Senate and the chamber's dwindling number of centrists. — The two-term senator is one of the most effective legislators …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, BuzzFeed News, Associated Press, ABC News, The Hill, Washington Post, National Review, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, CBS News, Daily Kos, Axios, Mercury News, New York Times, The Independent, Washington Times, Talking Points Memo and Fox News

Jessie Balmert / Cincinnati.com: U.S. Sen. Rob Portman won't run for re-election. Which Republicans might run instead?

The Hill:

Leahy, not Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial — Chief Justice John Roberts will not preside over Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, which is scheduled to begin in earnest on Feb. 8. — Instead, Senate President Pro Tempore, Pat Leahy (Vt.), the most senior member …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, CNN, JONATHAN TURLEY, Axios, New York Magazine, Above the Law, National Review, Breitbart, Al Jazeera, The Gateway Pundit and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Max Boot / Washington Post:

It's not just Trump on trial. It's the whole Republican Party. — When the impeachment proceedings begin in the Senate, it will not be just Donald Trump in the dock. The entire Republican Party will be on trial. And there is every reason to believe that the GOP will fail this test …

Discussion: KHNL, New York Magazine and CNN

Susan Davis / NPR:

Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial — Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., will preside over former President Donald Trump's trial in the Senate, a Senate source tells NPR. Leahy, 80, is the president pro tempore of the Senate, a constitutional role given to the longest-serving lawmaker in the majority party.

Discussion: New York Post, Business Insider, CNBC, CBS News, Fox News, RedState, National Review and The Gateway Pundit

Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:

Liz Cheney Should Step Away From Leadership For The Sake Of GOP Voters — There is no reason to leave Cheney in her leadership position. In fact, it's negligence for Republican leaders to keep her there. — Liz Cheney's problems are piling up, according to Politico.

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Real Clear Politics, The Daily Caller, New York Post and Fox News

Libby Cathey / ABC News:
Biden's 1st 100 days live updates: WH commits to getting Harriet Tubman on $20 bill

Discussion: NPR, CBS News, The Hill, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Guardian, KLRT-TV, Florida Politics, Associated Press, Progress Pond, Daily News and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:

Fight over the rules grinds the Senate to a halt, imperiling Biden's legislative agenda — When President Biden took office last week, he promised sweeping, bipartisan legislation to solve the coronavirus pandemic, fix the economy and overhaul immigration. — Just days later …

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, National Review, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Mediaite, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, Townhall, The Hill, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Common Dreams, Politico, Bangor Daily News, Roll Call, Breitbart and Fox News

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Senate Filibuster Debate Roils Chamber — Before the Senate can get down to business, Senator Mitch McConnell wants Democrats to promise not to scrap the procedural weapon that can grind the chamber to a halt. Democrats are balking. — WASHINGTON — For months, as Democrats contemplated capturing control …

Discussion: Raw Story, Fox News, The Federalist and DCReport.org

Henry Rodgers / The Daily Caller: Kyrsten Sinema Won't Support Eliminating Filibuster, ‘Not Open To Changing Her Mind’

Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:
Thoughts on How to Eliminate the Filibuster

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill and Nevada Current

Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:

Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims — The suit against Mr. Giuliani, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump who pushed to overturn the election results, accuses him of carrying out “a viral disinformation campaign.”

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Dominion sues Giuliani for $1.3 billion over ‘Big Lie’ about election fraud

Discussion: NBC News, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, Orange County Register, CBS News, Just The News, NPR, New York Magazine, HotAir, Raw Story, ABC7, Butterflies and Wheels and Eschaton

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

Rupert Murdoch, Accepting Award, Condemns ‘Awful Woke Orthodoxy’ — Mr. Murdoch of News Corp, who spoke in a video, has been relatively quiet publicly in recent years. He called conformity on social media “a straitjacket on sensibility.” — The media mogul Rupert Murdoch denounced an …

Discussion: The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Josh Hawley / New York Post:
It's time to stand up against the muzzling of America

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Mediaite, The American Independent, The Wrap, Washington Post, Raw Story, HuffPost and Instapundit

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Josh Hawley Believes Disliking Josh Hawley Is an Act of Censorship

Discussion: The Mahablog, Politico and New York Post

David Goldman / CNN:

Jim Acosta: I've never seen Trump this alone — New York (CNN Business)Donald Trump spent his last moments as President sad and alone, according to Jim Acosta, who led CNN's coverage of Trump during his presidency. — In his farewell to Washington on Wednesday morning …

Discussion: TheBlaze and Butterflies and Wheels

James Freeman / Wall Street Journal:
Hunter Gets a Bagel

Discussion: Washingtonian, Conservative News Today and The Dossier

Kate Bennett / CNN:
White House staff welcomes new first family: ‘The residence has life again’

Discussion: NBC News, HuffPost, The Independent, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Associated Press, Raw Story and Butterflies and Wheels

U.S. Department of Justice Office …:

Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Announces Initiation of Investigation — Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today that: — The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an investigation into whether any former …

Discussion: Associated Press, Axios, CBS News, Forbes, HotAir, The Last Refuge and Raw Story

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
Inspector general will investigate whether any Justice Dept. officials improperly sought to help Trump overturn the election

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, UPI and The Week

Politico:

Some Trump aides stuck with him till the end. Now they're screwed. — Four days into his post-presidency life, Donald Trump has insulated himself from the outside world. — Unseen by the public and unusually quiet as key parts of his policy legacy are dismantled by the new administration …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, theslot.jezebel.com, Juanita Jean's, Mediaite and Raw Story

Miriam Gottfried / Wall Street Journal:

Apollo CEO Leon Black to Step Down Following Review of Jeffrey Epstein Ties — Independent probe finds Black wasn't involved in disgraced financier's criminal activities; Marc Rowan to take over top job by July 31 — Leon Black plans to step down as chief executive of Apollo Global Management Inc …

New York Times: Apollo C.E.O. to Step Down After Firm Finds More Payments to Jeffrey Epstein

Christian Vanderbrouk / The Bulwark:

Meet Trump's Pro-Insurrection “Intellectuals” — We should have known January 6 was coming, because Trumpism's “intellectual” wing called for it, for weeks. — Last December, Ross Douthat suggested that “there are two Republican Parties.” One of them governs dutifully, “certifying elections …

Discussion: Raw Story

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

White House condemns riots in Portland, Seattle: ‘Smashing windows is not protesting and neither is looting’ — ‘President Biden condemns ... any violence in the strongest possible terms,’ Psaki says — Protesters smash police vehicle windows in Tacoma — White House press secretary Jen Psaki …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Biden administration ramping up efforts to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill

Donald Judd / CNN:
White House recommits to getting Harriet Tubman on $20 bill after Trump delay

Discussion: New York Times, IJR, The Root, ABC7 and CNBC

Just Security:

“Fight for Trump”: Video Evidence of Incitement at the Capitol — How direct is the connection between what President Donald Trump communicated to his supporters and their actions in laying siege to the U.S. Capitol? Videos recorded by many individuals over the course of the day provide some answers.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, The Independent, The Daily Caller, Tech Policy Press and Political Wire

Fadel Allassan / Axios:

Supreme Court dismisses Trump emoluments lawsuits as moot — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered lower courts to dismiss two cases that alleged former President Donald Trump unlawfully profited from his businesses while in office, in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clauses.

Discussion: Politico, Bloomberg Law, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Washington Examiner and Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:
Supreme Court ends Trump emoluments lawsuits

Discussion: CNN, BuzzFeed News, New York Times, Common Dreams and HotAir

Dana Goldstein / New York Times:

Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly. It Won't Be Easy. — The slow vaccine rollout, and local fights between districts and unions, could make it hard for the president to fulfill his promise. — In his first 48 hours in office, President Biden sought to project an optimistic message …

Discussion: Reason, Washington Post, The Federalist and Joanne Jacobs

Andrew Rice / New York Magazine: ‘I Want to Meet My Teacher’ A war over reopening schools has upended the progressive politics of the New Jersey suburbs.

Politico:

Newsom to lift stay-home orders across California — SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to lift stay-at-home orders statewide Monday, allowing restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining and salons to resume appointments indoors, according to two sources close to the governor and a restaurant industry email.

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, National Review and The Daily Caller

Taryn Luna / Los Angeles Times:
Newsom cancels California's COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

Discussion: ABC30, Reason, Louder With Crowder, Fox News, Conservative News Today, New York Post and HotAir

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

Twitter unveils ‘Birdwatch,’ a ‘community-driven approach’ to combat misleading information — ‘Birdwatch’ allows users to add notes to tweets they believe are false in an attempt to ‘add context’ for other users — Does Trump's Twitter ban set a dangerous precedent?

Discussion: NBC News, Twitter, Big League Politics, The Daily Caller, TechCrunch and Twitchy, more at Techmeme »

Robby Soave / Reason:
Twitter Unveils ‘Birdwatch,’ a New Platform Where Users Fact-Check Tweets

Discussion: Newsbusters and The Verge

Elisha Fieldstadt / NBC News:

Fauci says drop in Covid cases not due to vaccine: 'We don't want to get complacent' … Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday said that a drop in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in most of the country cannot likely be attributed to vaccines, meaning people should continue to be as cautious as possible.

Discussion: Fox News, Politico, Bloomberg and UPI

Moderna, Inc.:
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Retains Neutralizing Activity Against Emerging Variants First Identified in the U.K. and the Republic of South Africa

Discussion: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, HotAir, KRON4, Politico, Washington Examiner, STAT, New York Post, UPI, Townhall, The Daily Caller, USA Today, TechCrunch and CBS Baltimore

David Gilbert / VICE:

QAnon Thinks Trump Will Become President Again on March 4 — QAnon has started to merge with even more extreme conspiracy theories, including the “sovereign citizen” movement. — DG — Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 19th president of the United States on March 4, 2021.

Discussion: Rolling Stone and Raw Story

Olivia Goldhill / STAT:

Undercounting of Covid-19 deaths is greatest in pro-Trump areas, analysis shows — Tens of thousands of Covid-19 deaths are going unreported in the U.S., with far more missed in counties that strongly supported former President Trump, according to new research.

Discussion: Gothamist

Politico:

MAGA media looks to turn White House briefing room into a battlefield — Eric Bolling, the conservative host of Sinclair Broadcast Group's “America This Week,” would travel regularly to Donald Trump's White House, interviewing the former president seven times and occasionally attending press briefings.

Discussion: ABC News, CNN, Washington Post and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Tyler Fleming / Post and Courier:

How growing up in Aynor prepared one of the nation's top reporters to cover Trump — AYNOR — Often when the former Trump Administration made international news, a byline recognizable to many in Aynor ran atop The Washington Post's coverage. — From big breaks like the former president calling …

Joe Gould / Defense News:

A fake story about the secretary of defense stole my real byline — WASHINGTON ― It started with an unusual email Friday afternoon: “Is this article true?” — The attached jpeg resembled a Defense News story complete with my byline, but instead of my work, it was a cocktail of lies and paranoia.