memeorandum: Sessions pledges to depoliticize Justice Department (Josh Gerstein/Politico)

12:30 AM ET, January 27, 2018

Top Items:

Trump Launched Campaign to Discredit Potential FBI Witnesses — The president targeted three bureau officials who could provide key testimony in the Mueller probe. — President Donald Trump pressed senior aides last June to devise and carry out a campaign to discredit senior FBI officials …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Little Green Footballs, Palmer Report, New York Times, Washington Press, Business Insider, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, The Atlantic and Politico

CNN:

Frustrated by Russia investigation, Trump turns ire toward Rosenstein — Washington (CNN)Months after his reported effort to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, President Donald Trump is still fuming over the Russia investigation and has Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in his crosshairs.

Discussion: Palmer Report, Washington Press and WTVR-TV

Wall Street Journal:

Trump's Lawyers, Seeking Leverage in Russia Probe, Comb '90s Court Ruling — White House legal team may look to delay, limit or avoid a possible interview of the president by Mueller — President Donald Trump's legal team has been studying a 1990s federal court ruling that could be the basis for delaying …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, New York Times, Raw Story, Washington Press and Talking Points Memo

Issie Lapowsky / Wired:

Mueller's Team Has Interviewed Facebook Staff as Part of Russia Probe — THE DEPARTMENT OF Justice's special counsel Robert Mueller and his office have interviewed at least one member of Facebook's team that was associated with President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Discussion: CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, The Verge and Engadget

NPR:

Conservative Writer Says Republicans ‘Sacrificed Their Honor’ By Attacking FBI — Noah Rothman, an editor for Commentary magazine, tells NPR's Rachel Martin that “Trump's advocates across the Republican political spectrum” are grasping at straws by attacking the FBI. — RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

New Yorker:
The Answer to Whether Trump Obstructed Justice Now Seems Clear

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, Washington Press, 89.3 KPCC, Vox, NPR, Dame Magazine, Hullabaloo and Above the Law, more at Mediagazer »

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Key Republican Dials Back Effort to Protect Robert Mueller From Donald Trump

Discussion: Axios, CNN, Politico, New York Times, Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Orlando Weekly, Washington Post, Just Security, New Republic, American Greatness, Patterico's Pontifications and Business Insider

Fresno Bee:
Rep. Devin Nunes, Trump's stooge, attacks FBI

Discussion: Bloomberg, Raw Story and Shareblue Media

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Sessions pledges to depoliticize Justice Department

Discussion: Breitbart

Karen Freifeld / Reuters: White House counsel was ‘fed up’ with Trump: source

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
Chris Ruddy: I Was Right About Trump Wanting to Fire Mueller

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Fox News, Mediaite, ThinkProgress and Shareblue Media

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
Trump Will Try to Fire Mueller. Again.

Discussion: New York Times, National Review, Lawfare, IJR, Talking Points Memo, Vox, bizpacreview.com, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller and The Daily Beast

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
What Happens to Trump If He Fires Robert Mueller?

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Shareblue Media, Wall Street Journal, The Gateway Pundit, The Stranger …, TVNewser, The Atlantic and CNBC

Wall Street Journal:

Dozens of People Recount Pattern of Sexual Misconduct by Las Vegas Mogul Steve Wynn — Wynn Resorts employees and others described a CEO who sexualized his workplace and pressured workers to perform sex acts. Mr. Wynn responded: ‘The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous.’

The Daily Beast:

RNC Silent So Far About Contributions From Steve Wynn After Allegations He Forced Women Into Sex … Just months after the Republican Party worked to tie Democrats to alleged serial sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein, the GOP's chief fundraiser has been accused of pressuring multiple women …

Discussion: Shareblue Media

Chris Smith / New York Magazine: Clash of the Titans — In this corner: “The Vegas Volcano,” weighing in at $780 million.

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed:
Republicans Dragged Democrats Over Harvey Weinstein. Now They Have A Problem Of Their Own.

Discussion: Politico and Business Insider

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
These 6 GOP tweets just became very awkward

Discussion: Washington Press

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Steve Wynn, RNC finance chairman, faces allegations of sexual misconduct

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Press, Raw Story, Mediaite and Mother Jones

ESPN:

OTL: Michigan State secrets extend far beyond Larry Nassar case — MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY administrators have long claimed, to the federal government and public, that they have handled sexual assault, violence, and gender discrimination complaints properly.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Detroit Free Press, msuspartans.com, The Comeback, Shareblue Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Caller, The Ringer, WOOD-TV, The Big Lead, CBS Detroit, New York Times and AOL

Rachael Denhollander / New York Times:

The Price I Paid for Taking On Larry Nassar — On Jan. 16, women and girls from across the country began congregating in a courtroom in Lansing, Mich. Some of us were athletes; some of us were not. Some of us were white; some of us were black. Some of us were married; some of us were still in high school.

Discussion: Detroit News, Lansing State Journal, Michigan Radio, Glamour, TIME, FOX6Now.com, Q13 FOX News, NBC News and CNN

Nicole Auerbach / The Athletic:
NCAA president Mark Emmert was alerted to Michigan State sexual assault reports in 2010

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Comeback and WOOD-TV

Chris Solari / Detroit Free Press:
Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis steps down in wake of Larry Nassar scandal

Discussion: TheBlaze and myfox8.com

Will Hobson / Washington Post:
USA Gymnastics announces entire board of directors will resign in wake of Larry Nassar scandal

Discussion: Vox

Matt Mencarini / Lansing State Journal:
MSU hid full conclusions of 2014 Nassar report from victim

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and BuzzFeed

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton Chose to Shield a Top Adviser Accused of Harassment in 2008 — WASHINGTON — A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign who was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a young subordinate was kept on the campaign at Mrs. Clinton's request, according to four people familiar with what took place.

Elise Labott / CNN:

Exclusive: Frustrated State Department employees hire attorneys, charging ‘political retribution’ — Ex diplomat: US ability to ‘avert disasters’ at risk — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Several officials tell CNN they have retained attorneys after repeatedly trying unsuccessfully to raise concerns

Discussion: Axios, The Week, Shareblue Media and Raw Story

Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump has been spending nights at a posh D.C. HOTEL since the president was accused of having a fling with porn star Stormy Daniels - before the first lady unexpectedly flew to Palm Beach — Melania Trump has been spending time away from Trump and the White House since news …

Discussion: Washington Press and Politico

Alan Gomez / USA Today:

Jeb Bush warns Trump's character may drag down GOP in 2018 elections — MIAMI — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush warns that Republicans are in for a beating in the fall elections if congressional races focus on the rhetoric and character of President Trump.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Florida Politics, Naked Politics, The Hill, The Week, Washington Times and Mediaite

Kim Janssen / Chicago Tribune:

Trump EPA pick for Chicago office wore false nose to help me beat driving test, daughter says — Incoming Midwest Environmental Protection Agency chief Cathy Stepp faced a skeptical audience when she addressed her staff in Chicago for the first time earlier this month.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., thecut, FOX6Now.com, The Week and CBS Detroit

Karen Weintraub / New York Times:

Elephants Are Very Scared of Bees. That Could Save Their Lives. — Elephants are afraid of bees. Let that sink in for a second. The largest animal on land is so terrified of a tiny insect that it will flap its ears, stir up dust and make noises when it hears the buzz of a beehive.

Megan McArdle / Bloomberg:

Sorry, Blue States: You Can't Fix the Tax Bill — In the end, federal deductibility changes maybe simply force New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to cut their rates to compete with red states. — It's an unhappy time to be a high-income professional in a blue state — or their governor.

Discussion: Washington Post, Infowars, Clayton Cramer and twitchy.com

CNN:

Air Force One's new refrigerators cost $24 million — Washington (CNN)Air Force One is primed to receive an upgrade that will include new refrigerators expected to cost American taxpayers nearly $24 million. — The US Air Force awarded Boeing a $23.6 million contract in December to replace two of the five …

Discussion: New York Magazine

Donald G. McNeil Jr / New York Times:

This Flu Season Is the Worst in Nearly a Decade — This year's flu season is now more intense than any since the 2009 swine flu pandemic and still getting worse, federal health officials said on Friday. — Nationally, the number of people falling ill with flu is increasing.

Discussion: Shareblue Media and CBS Detroit

Sundance / The Last Refuge:

Controversial FBI Officials Linked To Wall Street Journal and Washington Post Leaks... There has been a great deal of speculation about FBI Agent Peter Strzok and FBI Attorney Lisa Page leaking to media in their efforts to shape stories conducive to their pro-Clinton/anti-Trump efforts.

Discussion: Politico and The Gateway Pundit

Alex Pappas / Fox News:
Grassley calls out FBI lovers' use of ‘private’ devices during Clinton email probe

Discussion: Daily Wire

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:

Tucker Carlson: When Concerns Of Foreigners Take Precedence Over Americans, Government Is Betraying Us — Tucker Carlson responds to critics like MSNBC's Joy Reid and Bill Kristol who have called him a racist. Carlson lays out his position on immigration and what proponents of more immigration must do to make their case.

Washington Post:

White House plan would reduce environmental requirements for infrastructure projects … The White House has drafted a proposal to scale back environmental requirements in an effort to make it easier to construct roads, bridges and pipelines across the country as part of an infrastructure plan …

Discussion: Axios