Top Items:

Jeff Zients Is Named White House Chief of Staff — The White House formally announced that Mr. Zients, 56, would be taking over for Ron Klain, who has held the role since President Biden took office two years ago. — WASHINGTON — President Biden said on Friday that Jeffrey D. Zients …
Discussion:
CNBC, Fox News, Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, The Hill, USA Today, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Washington Times, New York Post, The Forward, Courthouse News Service and Just The News
RELATED:
The White House:
Statement from President Joe Biden on Personnel Announcement — I've known Ron Klain since he was a third-year law student. He came to work for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I knew the moment he started that he was a once-in-a-generation talent with a fierce and brilliant intellect.
Discussion:
Politico, HotAir, Washington Examiner, National Review and UPI

The Myth of Jeffrey Zients — There is no reason to trust a longtime corporate stooge to serve as President Biden's chief of staff. — Jeff Zients, then COVID-19 response coordinator, prepares to speak at a press briefing at the White House, April 13, 2021, in Washington.

‘I have no enemies, at least’: Where Santos really stands in the House GOP — Everyone in the Capitol seems to be talking about George Santos. Almost no fellow Republican, however, appears to be forging real bonds with him. — The New York Republican became a migraine for his party …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Fox News, NBC News and Insider
RELATED:

Trump's Killing Spree: The Inside Story of His Race to Execute Every Prisoner He Could — Before 2020, there had been three federal executions in 60 years. Then Trump put 13 people to death in six months … N THE FINAL moments of Brandon Bernard's life, before he was executed …
Discussion:
Vox

FDA to relax blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships — Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships will soon be able to donate blood without abstaining from sex under new federal guidelines, parting from a long-standing policy that barred men …
Discussion:
Washington Post and New York Post
RELATED:

RNC chair seeks to quell revolt, divisions ahead of tense Friday election — GOP leaders are voting on whether to reelect Ronna McDaniel amid demands for accountability for the party's string of electoral failures — DANA POINT, Calif. — A contentious battle over the future of the GOP …
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Semafor, New York Daily News, UPI, The Hill, Trending Politics Conservative, Washington Examiner, Axios, Washington Times, Associated Press, Fox News, Just The News, ABC News, CNN, The Federalist, Media Matters for America, IJR, The Hill, CBS News, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

The Classified Document Scandal Is Even Dumber Than You Think — “It's a ridiculous system that's not fit for purpose anymore,” one State Department official told VICE News. — Cameron Joseph — WASHINGTON, US — It's hard to imagine a dumber way to protect our national intelligence.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Craig's Newsletter, Convictions of a Sciolist and CNN
RELATED:

US inflation and consumer spending cooled in December — The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge eased further in December, and consumer spending fell — the latest evidence that the Fed's series of interest rate hikes are slowing the economy. Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Post, New York Times, Quartz and Associated Press

Exclusive: Supreme Court did not disclose financial relationship with expert brought in to review leak probe — The Supreme Court did not disclose its longstanding financial ties with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff even as it touted him as an expert who independently validated …
Discussion:
Tangle and BuzzFeed News

Federal prosecutors discussed charging Trump in Stormy Daniels case when he left office, book says — Days before then-President Donald Trump left the White House, federal prosecutors in New York discussed whether to potentially charge Trump with campaign finance crimes once he was out of office …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Raw Story and Raw Story

Biden's Ukraine incompetence made war far bloodier. It's time to deliver what's needed to defeat Russia — Sending just 31 Abrams tanks to help Ukraine battle Russia is too little, too late — Sen. Tom Cotton: Ukraine Abrams tanks decision is ‘long overdue’

United States Obtains Temporary Restraining Order Against Firearm Companies Illegally Selling Machine Guns — Civil Action is Part of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York's Civil Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence — On January 19, 2023, the United States filed …
Discussion:
The Hill

Pro-DeSantis group to launch ‘opening salvo’ in New Hampshire at GOP meeting — A super PAC backing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for president in 2024 will have a presence at this weekend's New Hampshire GOP meeting, planting its flag in the state for the Florida governor and potentially setting …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, University of New …, Florida Politics, 19FortyFive and Fox News

California Senate race sets up clash of titans — A Senate race pitting the man who spearheaded former President Donald Trump's first impeachment, Adam Schiff, against fundraising powerhouse and wonk superstar Katie Porter would guarantee fireworks and a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Discussion:
Jezebel, New York Times, KQED, CNN, Vox, Washington Times, Reason, Politico, Breitbart, New York Post, RedState, CNBC, PoliticusUSA, East Bay Times, Tennessee Star, Fox News, KTLA, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, ABC News, Axios and New York Magazine

What Mike Pompeo Leaves Out — In a memoir clearly intended to prepare for a presidential run, the former secretary of state toots his own horn—but his silences are louder. — Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love — “My Mike” was the nickname that President Trump bestowed …
Discussion:
New Yorker, Washington Examiner, Al-Monitor, Blue Virginia and The Guardian

Florida House ‘dress code’ asks women to cover their shoulders … Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises Media and is the publisher of FloridaPolitics.com, INFLUENCE Magazine, and Sunburn, the morning read of what's hot in Florida politics.
Discussion:
RedState

Paul Pelosi attack video and audio being released Friday — Video and audio recorded last year during the attack on Paul Pelosi will be released Friday, after a California court ruled the district attorney's office must make the materials public. — Audio from police interviews …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HuffPost, Fox News, Rolling Stone, CBS News, NBC News, NBC Bay Area, The Gateway Pundit, Wall Street Journal, PJ Media, Sean Hannity, The Hill, USA Today, National Review, New York Times, Breitbart, RedState, The Post Millennial, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, East Bay Times and BizPac Review

On Trump's Social Network: Ads for Miracle Cures, Scams and Fake Merchandise — Truth Social, the social network started by former President Donald J. Trump, has struggled to attract large brands. — Between posts about conspiracy theories and right-wing grievances was an unusual advertisement …
Discussion:
Raw Story, more at Techmeme »

Exclusive: Inside the extramarital affair and cash-fueled double life of Charles McGonigal, the FBI spy hunter charged with taking Russian money — 2023-01-27T11:00:00Z … One morning in October 2017, Allison Guerriero noticed something unusual on the floor of her boyfriend's Park Slope, Brooklyn, apartment: a bag full of cash.

Revealed: Trump secretly donated $1m to discredited Arizona election ‘audit’ — Funding for controversial review of state's vote count in 2020 election can be traced to former president's Pac — One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the chaotic attempts to overturn Donald Trump's defeat …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Raw Story

Trump Bid to Help Ex-Aide Navarro Spurned by Judge in Contempt Case — A letter from former President Donald Trump's lawyer failed to persuade a judge to reconsider his refusal to dismiss a criminal contempt case against one-time White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Ambassador Olexandr Scherba's Undiplomatic Thoughts on Russia and Europe's Shocking Wake-Up Call — How Ukraine's desire for freedom disrupted the EU's vision for the future - until Europe had no choice but to act. … Olexander Scherba is a Ukrainian diplomat and author who served as Ambassador to Austria from 2014 to 2021.
Discussion:
The Atlantic

Scoop: GOP considers copying powerful Dem donor tactic — Republican candidates might have to beef up grassroots fundraising operations to qualify for the first 2024 presidential primary debate, Axios has learned. … - Discussions are ongoing about the precise number of donors to require …

Biden Appointees Are Looking for New Jobs — And the Market Is Hot — There's good news for Biden appointees eyeing the exits: Unlike your predecessors from Donald Trump's chaotic administration, you're in demand in the private sector. — While the 46th president has presided …
Discussion:
The Times of Israel, Axios and Political Wire

How Donald Trump's 2024 Campaign Bounced Back … Donald Trump spent the final months of 2022 reeling from electoral setbacks and media disasters. Many of his high-profile endorsements in the midterm elections flopped. His attacks on popular GOP governors in Florida, Virginia, Ohio …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, National Review, PoliticusUSA and Bloomberg