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Initial Comments on James Comey's Written Testimony — James Comey's seven-page written statement, released by the Senate Intelligence Committee this afternoon in connection with Comey's impending testimony tomorrow, draws no conclusions, makes no allegations, and indeed, expresses no opinions.
Discussion:
The Week
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Trump Can Commit All the High Crimes He Wants. Republicans Aren't Going to Impeach Him. — Since the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency, or even before, Democrats have been waiting for the moment when the Republican Party's indulgence would snap. In every incremental advance of the Russia story …

Top intelligence official told associates Trump asked him if he could intervene with Comey on FBI Russia probe — The nation's top intelligence official told associates in March that President Trump asked him if he could intervene with then-FBI Director James B. Comey to get the bureau …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, CNN, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Gizmodo, NPR, CNBC, The Guardian, Mediaite, Politico, Washington Monthly, IJR, Just Security, New York Times, AOL, Shareblue, Daily Wire, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Vox, NBC News, The Root, New York Magazine, The Week and Little Green Footballs


3 senior FBI officials can vouch for Comey's story about Trump — Sources: McCabe, Rybicki, and Baker could corroborate the ex-director's claims that the president asked him to back off investigating Michael Flynn. — One by one this winter, then-FBI Director James B. Comey pulled aside three …
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, Business Insider, Axios, New York Magazine and Political Wire

Post-ABC Poll: Most say Trump is interfering with Russia investigations — A majority of Americans report grave suspicions about President Trump's firing of FBI Director James B. Comey and his conduct during investigations of Russia's interference in the 2016 election, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, CNBC, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, The Week and Axios


Watergate ‘pales’ compared with Trump-Russia: former U.S. intelligence head — The Watergate scandal pales in comparison to events in Washington surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump and alleged links between his campaign and Russia, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Common Dreams, Politico, The Week, Fox News Insider, Axios, Political Wire and Sky News


James Comey testimony: Trump asked me to let Flynn investigation go
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Boing Boing, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and Daily Kos

Intelligence officials Rogers and Coats said they won't discuss specifics of private conversations with Trump
Discussion:
New York Times, Mother Jones, Political Wire, Talking Points Memo, NPR, Business Insider and CNBC

Comey Told Sessions: Don't Leave Me Alone With Trump
Discussion:
CNN, Little Green Footballs, New York Magazine, Hit & Run, New York Post, Politicus USA, Refinery29, Washington Post, CNBC, Daily Wire, The Hill, Just Security, Lawfare, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, TheBlaze, Vox, NBC News, Axios, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, CANNONFIRE, The Week, Taylor Marsh, RedState, Raw Story, The Atlantic and Mediaite

Here's What James Comey Will Say About Trump's Attempt To Interfere With FBI Probe
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon

Comey: Trump Asked For ‘Loyalty,’ Wanted Him to ‘Let’ Flynn Investigation ‘Go’
Discussion:
Fox News and The Gateway Pundit

Donald Trump's alleged Russia links will dwarf Watergate scandal, says James Clapper
Discussion:
The Atlantic, RedState and Gizmodo

DONALD TRUMP'S APPROVAL RATING IS BETTER THAN BILL CLINTON'S AT THIS POINT IN HIS FIRST TERM
Discussion:
RedState, The Week, Daily Wire and The Daily Caller

Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested he could resign amid rising tension with President Trump
Discussion:
Axios, Above the Law, The Daily Caller, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Daily Kos, Daily Wire, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, East Bay Times, The Resurgent, Raw Story, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, The Root, RedState, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News Insider, Politicus USA, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Political Wire and No More Mister Nice Blog

The Note: Trump preps for war with Comey
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Post, The Atlantic and Politico


Pair of Deadly Terrorist Attacks Hits Iran — Assailants with rifles, explosives and women's disguises stunned Iran on Wednesday with audacious attacks on the Parliament building and tomb of its revolutionary founder, the worst terrorist strike to hit the Islamic republic in years.
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Turkish parliament approves troop deployment in Qatar
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Reuters

Trump invites Qatar's leader to White House to resolve crisis
Discussion:
Salon, The Atlantic, Politico and ThinkProgress

Qatar in talks with Turkey and Iran to provide food, water: official
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Marginal REVOLUTION and The Jawa Report


White House Staff, Congress Blindsided by FBI Pick Announcement … A number of senior Trump officials learned of the president's pick to lead the FBI the same way everyone else did: on Twitter. — President Donald Trump's top communications staff, and much of his senior White House team …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Vox, Washington Post, Axios, The Guardian, Politico, The Week and Balloon Juice
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Trump Picks Christopher Wray to Be F.B.I. Director — WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday that he had selected the former federal prosecutor Christopher Wray, a partner at the Washington law firm King & Spalding, to be his new F.B.I. director. — The president revealed his decision in a morning tweet.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Breitbart, Shareblue, Geller Report, Wall Street Journal, Longreads, The Hill, TheBlaze, Fox News, ABC News, Washington Times, AOL, US News, The Guardian, CNBC, Hit & Run, IJR, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, The Gateway Pundit, CBS Dallas, Mediaite, Refinery29, KTLA, Above the Law, Raw Story, Daily Wire, BillMoyers.com, Gothamist, Deadline, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Gizmodo, CBS Philly, France 24, Townhall.com, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway and Althouse

President Trump Nominates Chris Wray for FBI Director — This morning President Trump announced that he would nominate Chris Wray as the next Director of the FBI. I worked with Wray in the Justice Department. He was the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division …
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Atlantic


Lawmakers override Brownback veto of tax increases, rolling back 2012 cuts — TOPEKA — Lawmakers rolled back Gov. Sam Brownback's signature tax policy over his objections Tuesday night, forcing into law tax increases to fix a budget shortfall and provide more money for schools.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Common Dreams, Booman Tribune and Washington Post
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Legislature overrides Brownback's veto of bill that rolls back his 2012 tax cuts
Discussion:
Shareblue

President Trump is violating my constitutional rights by blocking me on Twitter — The president can unblock me, or see me in court. — The president of the United States, the leader of the free world, has blocked me and others who are critical of him on Twitter. — Did I make death threats against him?
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Fox host to Trump: ‘Fake news media’ isn't the issue, it's you
Discussion:
RedState


A top Uber executive, who obtained the medical records of a customer who was a rape victim, is fired — Sources say Eric Alexander carried around for a year confidential information about a woman who was assaulted during a ride in India in 2014. — A top Uber executive obtained medical records …
Discussion:
New York Times, Mashable, New York Magazine, Gizmodo and The Week, more at Techmeme »

Female nursery worker is stabbed by three women in London — A nursery worker was stabbed by three women as they chanted ‘Allah will get you’. — Karrien Stevens, who runs Little Diamonds nursery in Hermon Hill, London confirmed that a member of staff, aged in her 30s …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Geller Report and Blazing Cat Fur


President Donald J Trump Works to Rebuild American Infrastructure — CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE: America's infrastructure is out of date and falling apart, particularly the internal waterways that are so vital for transporting the country's goods. — The Obama Administration's attempt …
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I Bake New Neighbors Bread To Welcome Them, And They Never Say Hello to Me Again — Let me tell you about my Southern California neighborhood. I have lived in this one for 22 years. I don't know anyone, but it's not for lack of trying. Each time a new neighbor moves in I bake a loaf of bread and take it to them.

Michael Flynn Had a Plan to Work With Russia's Military. It Wasn't Exactly Legal. … Donald Trump's first national security adviser pushed so hard for the Pentagon to cooperate with the Russian military that his initiative would likely have broken the law if it had ever been enacted.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Shakesville


How Ivanka Trump Influences Her Father Donald Trump — She got it from her mama. At just 5 years old, Arabella Kushner already has mom Ivanka Trump's defining characteristic, the former Trump Organization VP revealed in a September interview with Harper's Bazaar: “She knows exactly what to say to get what she wants.”
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Slot, Washington Post, New York Magazine and Mediaite


The Real Story Behind Elon Musk's $2.6 Billion Acquisition Of SolarCity And What It Means For Tesla's Future-Not To Mention The Planet's — The Tesla CEO's merger with his cousins' sustainable-energy company, SolarCity, is totally logical-and hugely risky. With eyes now on the private sector …


Taking Stock of Trump/Russia on The Eve of Comey's Testimony — With everyone prepping for the big testimony tomorrow, I wanted to share a few miscellaneous thoughts on the testimony and the state of the Trump/Russia investigation. — 1. There were a number of news reports yesterday …


The Mayors of Pittsburgh and Paris: We Have Our Own Climate Deal — Last week, President Donald Trump tried to pit our two cities against each other when he announced, in pulling out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
Discussion:
Morning Call, Vox, Bloomberg and ag.ny.gov