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Trump Told Mar-a-Lago Pals to Expect ‘Big’ Iran Action ‘Soon’ — Attendees of a closed-door Senate briefing didn't get much more clarity than the club guests did. Instead, officials spun Soleimani's slaying as a way to “de-escalate” tensions. — In the five days prior to launching …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, The Week, Law & Crime, Raw Story, The American Independent and Axios, more at Mediagazer »
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How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general — On Sunday, President Trump's most senior national security advisers joined him at his Mar-a- — Lago resort in Florida, where Trump was beginning the second week of his holiday vacation. The officials told reporters that U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles …
Discussion:
Axios, Slate, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hullabaloo, News Items, DNyuz, Wall Street Journal, The White House, Raw Story, New York Post, The Daily Beast and The Week


Pence falsely links Iranian general to 9/11 attacks — On Friday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence took to Twitter to justify the targeted U.S. attack that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani. — But scholars say his tweets contain several inaccuracies, including an allegation …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway


Iran general steps out of Soleimani's shadow to lead proxies — This undated photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, shows Maj. Gen. Esmail Ghaani. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later on Friday appointed Qassem Soleimani's deputy …


Fear Hits Tehran Over What Might Come Next — (Bloomberg) — Their supreme leader promised revenge and thousands gathered in Tehran to watch American flags burn, but any show of defiance after the assassination of their most prominent military man is laced with anguish for many Iranians.
Discussion:
Bloomberg


Protests planned across US to condemn Trump administration actions in Iraq, Iran — CHICAGO - More than 70 demonstrations were planned across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the Trump administration's killing of a top Iranian general and decision to send about 3,000 more soldiers to the Middle East.
Discussion:
UPI, Al Jazeera and The Economic Collapse

U.S. Killing of Soleimani Leaves Trump ‘Totally Unpredictable’ — (Bloomberg) — Three years into Donald Trump's presidency, U.S. allies and adversaries thought they had him figured out as a leader prone to bellicose talk who rarely delivered on his boldest military threats.
Discussion:
DNyuz


Trump plunges toward the kind of Middle Eastern conflict he pledged to avoid — With a single momentous decision to authorize a drone strike killing a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, President Trump immediately thrust himself into the center of a volatile and unpredictable region …


How Trump made the decision to kill Suleimani
Discussion:
Politico and Responsible Statecraft





A Shocked Iraq Reconsiders Its Relationship With the U.S.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times and Summit News

More than 70 protests planned across US against Soleimani strike
Discussion:
Redstate, Breitbart, The Daily Caller and MyNorthwest.com

Embarrassing: ‘NBC Nightly News’ Turns Itself into Infomercial for Iranian Regime
Discussion:
TASS

Pence Links Suleimani to 9/11. The Public Record Doesn't Back Him.
Discussion:
Jacobin, New Yorker, Slate, Quartz, DNyuz and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

With a War Against Iran Brewing, Don't Listen to the Hawks Who Lied Us Into Iraq
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, BizPac Review, New York Times and Slate

How Trump decided to kill Iran's Soleimani
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico, Gizmodo, KTLA, DNyuz, NPR, One America News Network, Fox News, Breitbart and Bloomberg

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq: U.S. Personnel and Allies Across Region Could Be Targets
Discussion:
Raw Story

Trump Orders Defense Department To Publicly Confirm Assassination Of Iranian General
Discussion:
Redstate, Fox News and New York Post

Trump endorses tweet comparing top Senate Democrat to Iranians
Discussion:
The National Interest, Breitbart, Raw Story and Vanity Fair


Trump children are 2 of the top 4 choices for Republicans in 2024 — Ready to skip 2020 and go straight to 2024? In a new SurveyMonkey poll, Republican voters chose children of President Trump — Don Jr. and Ivanka — as two of the top four picks for president in five years.
Discussion:
The Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story


White House Withholds 20 Emails Between Two Trump Aides on Ukraine Aid — It contends the release of the documents sought by The Times, would “inhibit the frank and candid exchange of views” in government decision-making. — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration disclosed on Friday …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, CNN, Raw Story and Center for Public Integrity


The Other Reason Republicans Won't Cross Trump — If President Donald Trump is booted from office, the catalyst looks certain to be the November election, not impeachment. The Senate has yet to convene an impeachment trial, and the recent killing of an Iranian general could further complicate lawmakers' timing.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Trump briefed Graham on airstrike, but kept Dems in the dark
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and HuffPost


New York Dangled Extra Incentives in Initial Bid to Lure Amazon HQ2 — E-commerce retailer was offered $800 million more in tax credits and grants than previously known


QAnon Believer Teamed Up With Conspiracy Theorists to Plot Kidnapping, Police Say — Conspiracy theorist Cynthia Abcug allegedly predicted that “Satan worshipers” would be killed in a raid by QAnon believers. — Colorado mother Cynthia Abcug became an unlikely star on the fringe right …


Reminder: American Officials Lie About War — “Don't trust liars—especially about matters of war and peace,” writes Vox's Matthew Yglesias. “Today's a day,” The Atlantic's David Frum posits, “when the most untruthful administration in US history will wish its statements could be believed.”
Discussion:
New York Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, ABC News and Blue Delaware
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Revelations from the Afghanistan Papers underscore the need for a media skepticism on Iran
Discussion:
LewRockwell and Alternet.org


A night on the plains: Chasing the mysterious drones of eastern Colorado — How one community is dealing with their bizarre aerial visitors — LAST CHANCE — It's 6:36 p.m. on a chilly January night, and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office is prepping for calls.
Discussion:
abc7NY and CBS Denver


Meat Loaf says Greta Thunberg has been brainwashed into thinking climate change is real — The singer thinks the activist has ‘been forced’ into her beliefs — Rock musician Meat Loaf thinks Greta Thunberg has been brainwashed into thinking climate change is real.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Consequence of Sound and PinkNews


No, We're Not Living in a Post-Fact World — Since President Donald Trump's election, if not before, a conventional wisdom has emerged that Americans are living in a “post-truth” age. Whether they're talking about Trump's dealings with Ukraine or debates about climate change, many journalists …


Democrats battle White House over executive power and congressional oversight — WASHINGTON — Attorneys for House Democrats on Friday challenged the Trump administration on its claims of executive powers, in two court hearings that, while not directly related to the
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China Replaces Its Top Representative in Hong Kong With an Enforcer — After months of protests and an electoral defeat for pro-Beijing political parties, an official with a record of difficult assignments is on the way. — BEIJING — The Chinese government abruptly replaced its top representative …
Discussion:
UPI