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We know about Friday night news dumps. This is looking more like an avalanche. We already noted the departure of DOJ #3 Rachel Brand. I noted why this seems like very worrisome news here.
Just a few moments ago news broke that President Trump has refused to okay the release of the Democrats’ rebuttal memo which was drafted in response to the Nunes Memo. This, needless to say, seems highly suspicious given the alacrity with which the President rushed to release the earlier document.
Here’s the letter sent to Capitol Hill announcing the decision … Read More
TPM is hiring a Newswriter to work in our New York City office. This is an entry level, junior editorial position writing primarily for TPM’s LiveWire.
TPMLivewire is the tip of the TPM breaking news spear, covering the news in real time using a combination of aggregation and original reporting to keep readers up to speed on the latest developments in TPM’s coverage areas.
Here’s the first installment of our weekly Sum-Up of the Trump/Russia probe and story. I discussed here what our Sum-Ups are, what role they’re meant to fill.
It’s remarkable the degree to which television commentators are embracing interpretations of Republican fiscal profligacy which are either oblivious, unschooled or simply dishonest. One line has it that Republicans are shedding their former obsession with spending and deficits. Another had it that Republicans are realizing that their ‘base’ doesn’t really care as much about deficits as they thought. They really agree with Trump, who doesn’t care about deficits. All of this is nonsense – not based on a theory or interpretation but simple history and experience. In a word, facts. Deficits go up, often dramatically, under Republican governance and usually go down under Democrats. This isn’t an interpretation. It’s a simple fact. Nor is it an artifact of history or coincidence. It is because Republicans don’t care about deficits. Read More
The President appears to be blaming Hope Hicks for the Rob Porter firestorm …
He's blaming Hope Hicks … "The president feels that Hope Hicks has allowed her romantic relationship with Porter to really cloud her judgment and her decision-making … that Hope Hicks put her own priorities above his and above the White House's." pic.twitter.com/ahPjkyxszI
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 9, 2018
Good background here on the new Russian election rolls hacking story from our Investigations Desk Reporter Tierney Sneed.
The biggest impact of the Nunes Memo – and the accompanying wave of propaganda – is that conventional news and commentary is incapable of handling willful lying in the public sphere. This is a pattern we’ve seen again and again. It’s one of the hallmarks of this political age. It’s worth saying it again: conventional media is not equipped to deal with willful lying in the public sphere.
Let’s consider the coverage of the Nunes Memo. Read More
Last week we introduced you to our first reporters’ Sum-Up, our weekly summaries of all the critical information you need to know on a major subject area as of that date from our lead reporter on that beat. Health policy is our first sum-up and here’s our second installment from Alice Ollstein.
These Sum-Ups will be published on a fixed weekly schedule, with an emphasis on concision and breadth. Our purpose is to provide you with one quick read to ensure you are up to date on every significant development in the given topic area. We plan to introduce new Sum-Ups on voting rights/democracy and the Russia probe in the coming week.