memeorandum: Right-Wing Activists Discussed Wiretapping Seth Rich's Family, Three People in the Room Say (Will Sommer/The Daily Beast)

6:45 AM ET, February 18, 2020

Top Items:

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:

Federal judges' association calls emergency meeting after DOJ intervenes in case of Trump ally Roger Stone — WASHINGTON - A national association of federal judges has called an emergency meeting Tuesday to address growing concerns about the intervention of Justice Department officials …

Discussion: CNN, Axios, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA, Letters from an American, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, The Week, Law & Crime and Raw Story

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Who's complaining about investigations now? — Attorney General William Barr is looking into the murky origins of the politically-charged Justice Department investigations that roiled American public life for the last three years. — Just how did the FBI's “Crossfire Hurricane” …

Washington Post:
We must not stand for Trump's attack on Judge Amy Berman Jackson

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

USA Today:
More than 2,000 ex-DOJ employees call for Attorney General Barr's resignation

Discussion: CNN, The Independent, The Daily Caller and Redstate

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
More than 2,000 former DOJ officials call on Attorney General William Barr to resign

Discussion: The Week, Raw Story, HuffPost, The American Spectator, Mediaite, NBC News, Blue Virginia and Balloon Juice

Raw Story / Salon:
More than 1,100 former Justice Department officials demand William Barr's ouster in scathing letter

Discussion: MSNBC, LGBTQ Nation and DCReport.org

Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:
Barr Aimed To Block Turkish Bank Indictment After Erdogan Asked Trump For Help: Report

Discussion: Raw Story

NPR:

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: Sanders Leads, Bloomberg Qualifies For Debate — Audio will be available later today. — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened up a double-digit lead in the Democratic nominating contest, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

Discussion: Power Line, CNN, Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, The Week, New York Post, The Guardian, Florida Politics, NBC News and Mediaite

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

Michael Bloomberg Surges in Poll and Qualifies for Democratic Debate in Las Vegas — The billionaire will share the stage with his Democratic rivals for the first time on Wednesday night. He is certain to be a target of onstage criticism. — WASHINGTON — Former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg …

Discussion: PBS NewsHour, CNN, Contemptor, BuzzFeed News and NBC News, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Bloomberg Campaign Opens First Attack on a Democratic Rival: Bernie Sanders — Michael R. Bloomberg's campaign mounted a direct offensive against a Democratic opponent for the first time, as Bernie Sanders shot back by accusing the billionaire of trying to buy the presidency.

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story, Mediaite, New York Post, The Hill, McClatchy Washington Bureau and Washington Times

Sean McElwee / Memos:
Memo: Sanders has Strong Lead in Nevada

Discussion: The Hill

Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:
Pete Buttigieg's next test: Winning over minority voters

Discussion: One America News Network and Breitbart

Vivian Salama / CNN:

Bolton issues plea that his upcoming book isn't ‘suppressed’ by White House — Durham (CNN)John Bolton issued a plea that his upcoming book isn't “suppressed” by the White House in his first public remarks since the impeachment inquiry into Trump wrapped. — “I hope it's not suppressed …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, Law & Crime, Outside the Beltway and New York Post

Axios:

Top NSC official may be moved after “Anonymous” rumor fallout — Top Trump administration officials are in discussions to reassign deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates to the Department of Energy from the National Security Council, per two sources familiar with the planning.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
John Bolton Hints at How Much More He Still Has to Tell

Discussion: HuffPost

Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal: John Bolton Won't Discuss Trump and Ukraine in Public Appearance

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Bolton Hints at Further Revelations if He Overcomes White House ‘Censorship’

Discussion: Raleigh News & Observer, Bloomberg, Axios and Daily Kos

Carol E. Lee / NBC News:
Bolton book remains stuck in White House classification review

Discussion: The Hill, HuffPost and Mediaite

Lee Brown / New York Post:

Woman brings mini-service horse onto plane, into first class — This flyer wasn't horsing around. — A Michigan woman startled other passengers on a recent series of flights when she brought aboard a mini-service horse and traveled with him in first class to California.

Gabriel Debenedetti / New York Magazine:

What Obama Is Saying in Private About the Democratic Primary — Democratic leaders, whose two primary concerns these days are trying to keep Donald Trump in check and maintaining their own party's unity, have had ample reason for concern in the first seven weeks of 2020.

George Soros / Financial Times:

Letter: Remove Zuckerberg and Sandberg from their posts — Mark Zuckerberg should stop obfuscating the facts by piously arguing for government regulation ("We need more regulation of Big Tech", February 17). — Mr Zuckerberg appears to be engaged in some kind of mutual assistance arrangement …

Discussion: VentureBeat and VICE, more at Techmeme »

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

Republicans owe Vindman a public apology — In the large category of things that justice demands but will never come to pass: The elected Republicans who voted against the impeachment and removal of President Trump owe Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman a public apology.

Discussion: Raw Story

Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:

Right-Wing Activists Discussed Wiretapping Seth Rich's Family, Three People in the Room Say — Involved in the talks about murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich: a Fox reporter, a former intelligence contractor, and a pair of provocateurs looking to sow “targeted chaos” online.

Max Boot / Washington Post:

Trump doesn't seem to grasp that blue staters are real Americans too — You would think the symbolism of a tycoon being chauffeured in an armored limousine would hardly be the most effective way to signal “I'm one of you.” But that's precisely what President Trump did at the Daytona 500 on Sunday …

Steve Contorno / Tampa Bay Times:

The Republican Party asked Florida tax collectors for millions of email addresses. Why? — The request was ultimately denied but it demonstrated the massive data effort behind President Donald Trump's reelection campaign. — A curious request arrived in the inboxes of Florida tax collectors …

Ryan Saavedra / The Daily Wire:

Dershowitz: I Have Proof Obama Ordered FBI Investigation At Request Of George Soros — Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz revealed in an interview on Sunday that he has proof that former Democrat President Barack Obama ordered the FBI to investigate someone …

Discussion: Redstate, The Gateway Pundit and Big League Politics

David Mikkelson / Snopes.com:

Is This ‘God Bows Down to Trump’ Sign Real? — Claim — A photograph shows a real a Trump 2020 campaign sign bearing the legend “God Bows Down to President Donald J Trump — Declares ‘He Is Perfect.’” — Rating — What's True — A photograph of a Trump campaign sign bearing the legend …

Rick Barrett / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Edited video of Mike Bloomberg appears to insult farmers, factory workers, but there's more to the story — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg 's campaign says his video about farmers and manufacturing was taken out of context (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

Discussion: TheBlaze

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:

Hunter Biden Was On Board Of Trade Coalition Lobbying Obama Admin On Ukraine Aid — Hunter Biden served on the board of a trade group that lobbied for increased spending on international aid, including for Ukraine. — Biden's association with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition …

Richard Luscombe / The Guardian:

NSA whistleblower who leaked Russian hacking report petitions for clemency — Reality Winner was sentenced to five years in 2018 after leaking classified report about Russia's interference in the 2016 election — Supporters of Reality Winner, a National Security Agency whistleblower …

Discussion: The Intercept, Fox News and The Hill

Emma Goldberg / New York Times:

She Didn't Want a Pelvic Exam. She Received One Anyway. — Medical schools and students are grappling with an unsettling practice: Performing pelvic exams on unconscious, non-consenting patients. — Janine, a nurse in Arizona, checked into the hospital for stomach surgery in 2017.

Washington Post:

The EPA is about to change a rule cutting mercury pollution. The industry doesn't want it. — For more than three years, the Trump administration has prided itself on working with industry to unshackle companies from burdensome environmental regulations. But as the Environmental Protection …

Gregg Re / Fox News:

Bloomberg says many ‘black and Latino males’ don't ‘know how to behave in the workplace,’ in newly uncovered 2011 video — While promoting a $127 million, three-year initiative to help minorities in the workplace in 2011, then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared that there's …

Discussion: The Guardian