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Bonus episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency — Last month, Axios published “Off the rails,” a series taking you inside the end of Donald Trump's presidency, from his election loss to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that triggered his second impeachment — and a Senate trial set to begin next week.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Business Insider, Mediaite, Law & Crime, Raw Story, The Week and Patterico's Pontifications


Scoop: Fees — not just strategy — blew up Trump's legal team — Disagreements over legal strategy weren't the only reason Donald Trump's defense team collapsed just days before his second impeachment trial, Axios has learned. — What we're hearing: The notoriously stingy former president …
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Conservative groups go MIA on Trump's impeachment — A constellation of conservative groups that rallied behind former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment is sitting this one out, confident that the outcome is preordained. — The groups have gone quiet on social media …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times, The Carpentariat and Townhall


Dare Trump to Testify — He should be called out as a coward if he refuses to take the stand in his own defense. — Donald Trump attempted to overthrow an election and install himself as an autocrat. — This is an inconvenient truth for congressional Republicans who were complicit in the scheme …
Discussion:
Dave Dubya's Freedom Rants, Mercury News, Raw Story and Political Wire

The Wrong Way to Impeach Trump
Discussion:
Washington Post, RedState, pjmedia.com and Raw Story


In 2019, Marjorie Taylor Greene told protesters to “flood the Capitol,” feel free to use violence — As a candidate, Greene told followers “we should feel like we will” resort to violence “if we have to” — In a video posted to social media months before announcing her congressional candidacy …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Michigan Advance, CNN, UPI, Power Line and Daily Montanan
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McConnell says Taylor Greene's embrace of conspiracy theories a ‘cancer’ to GOP, country — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday blasted Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's embrace of “loony lies and conspiracy theories” as a “cancer for the Republican Party.”
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Washington Post, Politico, CNN, Vanity Fair, CBS Miami, Daily Kos, IJR, Breitbart, Axios, The Intellectualist, Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop, The Daily Caller, The RFAngle, The Sun, USA Today, NPR, POLITICUSUSA, TheBlaze and Business Insider


Column: Where QAnon goes, so goes the Republican Party
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, IJR, Daily Kos and Washington Post

New Democratic Ad Campaign Ties G.O.P. to QAnon
Discussion:
Vox, Insider, Washington Examiner, The American Independent, Slate, Florida Politics, Crooks and Liars, Politico and The Guardian

Punishing vile lawmakers is not cancel culture
Discussion:
National Memo, CNN and Vanity Fair


Trump's actions described as ‘a betrayal of historic proportions’ in trial brief filed by House impeachment managers — House Democrats made their case to convict former president Donald Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in a sweeping impeachment brief filed with the Senate Tuesday …
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Impeachment Managers File Trial Brief, Explain Senate's Obligation to Hear Case against Donald Trump

The Ridiculous ‘Free Speech’ Defense of Trump
Discussion:
CNBC, CBS News, The Daily Caller, Bangor Daily News, IndieWire and Reuters


Progressive PAC kick-starts search for challengers to Manchin, Sinema — A trio of progressives who helped launch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 upset campaign are now setting their sights on Senate Democrats. — The co-founders of No Excuses PAC — Saikat Chakrabarti, Corbin Trent and Zack Exley …
Discussion:
New York Post, Twitchy, Townhall, Fox News, National Review, HotAir and Washington Examiner
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Ocasio-Cortez Says She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor — “I haven't told many people that in my life,” the Democratic congresswoman said of the revelation, which came during a harrowing recounting of her experiences amid the Capitol riot. — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday …


AOC explains why Republicans can't just tell her to forget about the insurrection and move on
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams and Forbes


Ginni Thomas apologizes to husband's Supreme Court clerks after Capitol riot fallout — Conservative political activist Virginia Thomas told her husband Justice Clarence Thomas's former law clerks that she was sorry for a rift that developed among them after her election advocacy …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story


As It's Happening: Navalny Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Penal Colony — A Moscow court is beginning a hearing Tuesday on whether jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, whose arrest has triggered mass protests, should face years in prison. — Navalny, 44, was detained on Jan. 17 when he returned …
Discussion:
Business Insider
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Judge sentences Navalny to more than three years in prison
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, Reason and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »


The weird threats Lindsey Graham and Trump's lawyer are making about calling impeachment witnesses — Former president Donald Trump's impeachment trial is set to begin in a week's time. And judging by a couple interviews Monday, his side is focused on delivering a not-so-veiled threat …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Crooks and Liars and Raw Story
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Lindsey Graham Warns Democrats Against Calling Witnesses In Trump Impeachment Trial — “You open up Pandora's box if you call one witness,” cautioned the Trump ally, who claimed a lengthy trial of the former president would be “bad for the country.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) …
Discussion:
Fox News, Althouse, Daily Kos, IJR, TheBlaze, New York Post, Breitbart and Washington Examiner


Are acronyms a symptom of ‘white supremacy culture?’ SFUSD makes another disputable decision — SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — First the San Francisco School Board decided to rename 44 schools because they are named after people with ties to racism or slavery. Now the Arts Department has taken …
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Reason, San Francisco Chronicle and New York Post
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The Five-Second Cancellation of Abraham Lincoln
Discussion:
The Week and Washington Post


Amazon Unveils Outdoorsy New HQ2, Renewing Its Commitment to Offices — Centerpiece of design is a 350-foot building dubbed the Helix, which features two spiraling outdoor walkways — Amazon. com Inc.'s plans for its new northern Virginia headquarters feature an outdoor theme …
Discussion:
The Verge and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »


‘He invited us’: Accused Capitol rioters blame Trump in novel legal defense — (Reuters) - Emanuel Jackson, a 20-year-old Washington area man, was caught on video using a metal bat to strike the protective shields wielded by police officers as they tried to fend off rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
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An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election — An interactive map that lets readers explore in new detail how most states voted in the 2020 presidential election.


Dolly Parton turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice — Besides being East Tennessee's songbird, country superstar Dolly Parton has always had a philanthropic side and it turns out even presidents have noticed! — The queen of country, 75, told TODAY in an interview …
Discussion:
CBS News, The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair, Mediaite, NPR, The Daily Beast, Deadline, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, The Guardian, The Week, The Sun, Business Insider, Mic, WRBL-TV and IJR


Manchin says he doesn't support raising minimum wage to $15 per hour — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on Tuesday that he does not support increasing the minimum age to $15 an hour—a critical roadblock to including the proposal in the final coronavirus relief bill. — “No I'm not.
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Hawley rakes in grassroots cash after Capitol attack — January was Sen. Josh Hawley's best fundraising month—by far—since his 2018 election, with a flood of small-dollar donations more than eclipsing the corporate cash he lost after leading an effort to block certification of President Biden's Electoral College win.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Josh Hawley, Forbes, National Review and Mock Paper Scissors

Inside the Brutal Power Struggle at Homeland Security … Tensions ran so high at the Department of Homeland Security's oversight wing that one senior official fantasized about Arya Stark, the fictional assassin in “Game of Thrones,” “taking care of” the agency chief, according …
Discussion:
Raw Story


White House Reporters: Biden Team Wanted Our Questions in Advance — “It pissed off enough reporters for people to flag it” for the White House Correspondents' Association, one of The Daily Beast's sources said. … If you're a reporter with a tough question for the White House press secretary …


Trump pollster's campaign autopsy paints damning picture of defeat — Former President Donald Trump has blamed the election results on unfounded claims of fraud and malfeasance. But at the top levels of his campaign, a detailed autopsy report that circulated among his political aides paints …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, The American Independent, Washington Examiner, The Week, Mediaite and FiveThirtyEight


The Nightmare Share She posted an ad for a roommate. What's the worst that could happen? — As it goes in New York City, the apartment was small, it was expensive, but it was theirs. Heidi Russell and Valentina Bajada owned an 860-square-foot second-floor walk-up, and they loved …


Scientists have taught spinach to send emails and it could warn us about climate change — It may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction film, but scientists have managed to engineer spinach plants which are capable of sending emails. — Through nanotechnology …
Discussion:
Power Line


Grand Central's Grand Hyatt Replacement: A First Look at the 1,600-Foot Tower — Previous Next — RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone are planning to replace the Grand Hyatt Hotel by Grand Central Terminal with a dramatic 1,600-foot office-and-hotel tower known as 175 Park Avenue.


2 FBI agents dead, others injured in Florida shooting while serving warrant: source — FBI was reportedly attempting to serve a warrant in a child pornography case — Fox News Flash top headlines for February 2 — Two FBI agents were killed Tuesday morning while trying to serve …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, UPI, The Daily Caller and Raw Story


Yahoo News/YouGov poll: More than two-thirds of Americans side with Biden on COVID relief — and most support the rest of his agenda — When asked about the 20 policies that define President Biden's agenda, more Americans support than oppose all 20 of them, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.
Discussion:
Politico


Russian Covid-19 Vaccine Was Highly Effective in Trial, Study Finds, Boosting Moscow's Rollout Ambitions — Sputnik V shot achieved 91.6% efficacy against coronavirus symptoms, says paper in U.K.'s Lancet — MOSCOW—Russia's homegrown Sputnik V vaccine showed high levels of efficacy …