memeorandum: Trump and lawmakers paralyzed over shutdown as both sides remain dug in (Washington Post)

9:25 AM ET, January 15, 2019

Top Items:

Trump Discussed Pulling U.S. From NATO, Aides Say Amid New Concerns Over Russia — WASHINGTON — There are few things that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia desires more than the weakening of NATO, the military alliance among the United States, Europe and Canada that has deterred Soviet and Russian aggression for 70 years.

Discussion: National Review, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Axios, Washington Times, Just Security, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, VICE News, Washington Free Beacon, Sputnik International, The Week, IJR, Fox News Insider and Shareblue Media

The Daily Beast:

Mueller Probes an Event With Nunes, Flynn, and Foreign Officials at Trump's D.C. Hotel — Devin Nunes has been a pitbull for the president, growling at the prosecutors investigating Trumpworld. Now an event that Nunes himself attended is under Mueller's microscope.

Discussion: Politico, The Week, Raw Story and The New Civil Rights Movement

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:

Barr sent or discussed controversial memo with Trump lawyers — Washington (CNN)Attorney General nominee William Barr shared a controversial memo last year with nearly all of President Donald Trump's lawyers concluding that an aspect of special counsel Robert Mueller's case could be “fatally misconceived,” Barr acknowledged Monday.

Discussion: KTLA

CNN:

Trump's legal team rebuffed request for Mueller interview in recent weeks — (CNN)President Donald Trump's legal team rebuffed special counsel Robert Mueller's request in recent weeks for an in-person session with Trump to ask follow-up questions. — The request was made after Trump's …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Lawfare:
Lessons from Watergate: What the Senate Judiciary Committee Should Ask Bill Barr

Discussion: The Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed News and New Republic

Julie Kelly / American Greatness:
The Media's Trump-Russia Death Spasms

Discussion: RedState, Investor's Business Daily and CNN

Luke Barr / ABC News:
AG nominee Barr promises he won't interfere with Mueller as confirmation hearing set to begin

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Josh Lederman / NBC News:
William Barr once warned of need for ‘political supervision’ at Justice Department

Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Signal, VICE News and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

New York Times:

Steve King Faces Loss of House Committee Seats Over White Supremacy Remark — House Republican leaders will try to remove Representative Steve King of Iowa from the powerful Judiciary Committee and his other panel assignments on Monday night as the party officials scrambled to appear tough …

The Hill:
GOP leaders strip Steve King of committee assignments

Discussion: RedState and The New Civil Rights Movement

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
Republicans need to condemn Trump's brazen bigotry

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Contemptor

Al Weaver / Washington Examiner: McCarthy strips Steve King of committee assignments after accusations he backed white supremacy

Washington Post:
Rep. Steve King's inflammatory remarks roil a GOP already struggling on race

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Political Wire and Breitbart

NBC News:
House GOP leaders vote to strip Steve King of committee assignments following ‘white supremacy’ remarks

Discussion: New York Times, Fox News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Joe.My.God., Vox, Breitbart, Roll Call and ABC News

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
House Republican leaders move to strip Rep. Steve King of his committee assignments over comments …

Discussion: The Week, POLITICUSUSA, IJR, CNN, Mediaite, WGN-TV, Axios, National Review, Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo and The Atlantic

NPR: How Damaging Are Rep. King's Comments To The GOP?

Emma Ockerman / VICE News:
Democrats are about to punish GOP Rep. Steve King for his “rabid racism”

Discussion: The Week, CNN and Mediaite

New York Times:

At Trump's Inauguration, $10,000 for Makeup and Lots of Room Service — At Trump's Inauguration, the Money Flowed Like Never Before — New details of spending on Mr. Trump's inaugural two years ago show that it roughly doubled that of his immediate predecessors.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Splinter, The Week, Raw Story and AOL

John Santucci / ABC News:

President Donald Trump's inaugural fund spent lavishly at his DC hotel, new docs show — President Donald Trump's inaugural committee spent more than $1.5 million at the Trump International Hotel in Washington ahead of his 2017 swearing-in, according to internal documents reviewed by ABC News.

Brian Stelter / CNN:

John Kasich signs with CNN as senior political commentator — (CNN)John Kasich's time as Ohio governor just came to an end. And his time as a CNN contributor just began. — On Tuesday morning CNN announced that Kasich is the newest addition to the network's stable of contributors.

Discussion: Breitbart, AOL and Hot Air

Mike Allen / Axios:

Exclusive: John Kasich joins CNN as contributor — Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich is joining CNN as a contributor, serving as an analyst across the network, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker told his team Tuesday morning. — The big picture: The 66-year-old Kasich, a former U.S. House member …

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Associated Press and CNBC

Annie Karni / New York Times:

Ivanka Trump to Help Choose New World Bank President — WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump, the president's eldest daughter and senior adviser, will play a role in helping to select the next head of the World Bank, the White House said Monday. — Ms. Trump, who had been rumored to be a contender …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Women in the World

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Trump amps up Dem pressure campaign

Discussion: Political Wire

Senior Trump Official / The Daily Caller:

I'm A Senior Trump Official, And I Hope A Long Shutdown Smokes Out The Resistance — The Daily Caller is taking the rare step of publishing this anonymous op-ed at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose career would be jeopardized by its disclosure.

Discussion: Mediaite and Daily Wire

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
‘Senior Trump Official’ On Shutdown: ‘We Do Not Want Most Employees To Return’

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Washington Post:

Trump and lawmakers paralyzed over shutdown as both sides remain dug in — President Trump's dismissals of his own party's calls for compromise and his seeming indifference to shuttered federal agencies left the snowbound capital paralyzed Monday, with lawmakers in both parties scrambling …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway and Politico

Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
Power Up: Missing in action McConnell suggests no shutdown deal in sight

Discussion: Politico and Roll Call

The Guardian:

Chris Christie accuses Jared Kushner of political ‘hit job’ in explosive new book — Exclusive: ex-New Jersey governor, who had prosecuted Kushner's father, was sacked as head of Trump's transition team — Chris Christie, who was ousted as chairman of Donald Trump's White House transition team in 2016 …

Steve Liesman / CNBC:

Trump administration doubles estimate of shutdown cost to economy from original forecast: Source — The original estimate that the partial shutdown would subtract 0.1 percentage point from growth every two weeks has now been doubled to a 0.1 percentage point subtraction every week, according to a Trump administration official.

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Joe Lieberman Called Chinese Telecom Giant ZTE a National Security Threat. Now He's a Lobbyist for It. — The former Senator says he can better serve his new client precisely because he was once a critic. — Betsy Woodruff — Joseph Lieberman, the former Connecticut senator …

Discussion: Raw Story

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Goodbye, New York. Adam Moss Is Leaving the Magazine He Has Edited for 15 Years. — Adam Moss, whose visual savvy and ear for the zeitgeist made him one of the leading magazine editors of his generation, said on Tuesday that he would step down from New York magazine, his canvas for the past 15 years.

more at Mediagazer »

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Facebook, fighting off skeptics, plans to invest $300 million in journalism programs — New York (CNN Business)Facebook says it is making by far its biggest investment yet into struggling sectors of the news industry. — On Tuesday the company is announcing a three-year commitment …

Tom Vanden Brook / USA Today:

Pentagon to send more active-duty troops to southwest border — President Trump once said Mexico would pay directly for a wall; now he says his trade deal would do it. But experts say that's a long shot. — CONNECT — WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will send a fresh deployment …

Discussion: CNN and Townhall

Associated Press:
Pentagon agrees to extended role on Mexico border mission

Discussion: ABC News

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Conservative writer Jerome Corsi says Mueller has summoned his stepson to testify before grand jury — The stepson of conservative writer Jerome Corsi has been summoned by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to testify before a grand jury, according to Corsi, a sign that Mueller's team remains focused …

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Associated Press

The Sun:

BREX FROM THE DEAD Theresa May will force SECOND vote on her Brexit deal despite facing huge defeat — Allies claim that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered Theresa May last minute help after saying the EU could grant extra concessions if MPs shoot down the her deal

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, The Week, Bloomberg, RT and The Local

The Hill:

GOP maps out early 2020 strategy to retake House — Republicans are crafting an early strategy to take back the House in 2020, zeroing in on districts carried by President Trump that recently flipped to Democrats and starting a recruitment process that will have a heavy emphasis on female candidates.

Discussion: Political Wire

Washington Post:

Justice Department issues new opinion that could further restrict online gambling — The Justice Department late Monday issued a legal opinion that could further restrict online gambling even as some states have been moving to embrace it — a restriction long sought by GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson …

Discussion: Raw Story

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Welcome to the Stephen Colbert primary — (CNN)Iowa. New Hampshire. Donor enclaves on the coasts. And... the Ed Sullivan Theater? — Yes, the home of Stephen Colbert's “Late Show” is proving to be a key stop for Democrats who are positioning themselves for 2020 presidential bids.

Micah L. Sifry / New Republic:

Resistance Training — Since Donald Trump became president, the United States has seen over 20,000 street protests. While this number includes some pro-Trump rallies, most of the events voiced opposition to the administration. Between hundreds of Women's Marches, the airport protests …

Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:

Is This the Year for a Redistricting Revolution? — LOS ANGELES—Barack Obama and Arnold Schwarzenegger agree: Neither thinks Donald Trump has any business being anywhere near the White House, but the main political issue they're going to focus on for the next two years is redistricting reform.