February 2020

Supreme Court

• Trump Launches New Attack On Supreme Court, Demands Liberal Justices Recuse by Ed Mazza (Huffington Post)
• Trump Says Sotomayor, Ginsburg Should Recuse Themselves From Cases Involving Him by Krishnadev Calamur (NPR)
• Trump Demands Sotomayor, Ginsburg Recuse Themselves from Matters of Personal Interest to Him by Inae Oh (Mother Jones)
• Trump Says Sotomayor, Ginsburg Have No Right to Judge His Cases by Jonathan Chait (New York Magazine)

Other News

• Trump ridiculed for claiming stock market looks ‘very good’ as Dow plunges 1,000 points amid coronavirus fears by Andrew Naughtie (Independent)
• Trump Turned the Weinstein Verdict Into a Slam on Democrats by Paul Blest (VICE)
• Trump’s separation of families constitutes torture, doctors find by Amanda Holpuch (The Guardian)
• Trump defends Modi on religious freedom amid protests in India by Morgan Chalfant (The Hill)
• Once Cold War heroes, ‘Miracle on Ice’ team struggles with backlash from donning ‘Keep America Great’ hats at Trump rally by David Nakamura (Washington Post)
• Rush Limbaugh on coronavirus: ‘The common cold’ that’s being ‘weaponized’ against Trump by Allyson Chiu (Washington Post)
• New Delhi Streets Turn Into Battleground During Trump’s Visit by Jeffrey Gettleman, Suhasini Raj, and Sameer Yasir (NY Times)

Analysis

• Trump’s flailing incompetence makes coronavirus even scarier by Matthew Yglesiasa (Vox)
• The fight over whether religion is a license to discriminate is back before the Supreme Court by Ian Millhauser (Vox)

India

• ‘Namaste Trump!’ India’s Modi Welcomes U.S. Leader With An Epic Party by Lauren Frayer, Sushmita Pathak, Colin Dwyer, Bill Chappell (NPR)
• India Welcomes Trump With Pageantry, Praise And Protests by Jill Colvin, Jonathan Lemire / AP (Huffington Post)
• India rolls out the MAGA carpet for Trump by Anita Kumar (Politico)
• What Donald Trump gets out of his trip to India by Vineet Khare (BBC)
• Taj Mahal: US President Donald Trump visits India’s ‘monument of love’ (BBC)
• Trump stumbles on Indian names, Hindi word in cricket stadium speech (Reuters)

Other News

• White House to seek more money to combat coronavirus: reports (Reuters)
• White House refuses to deny Trump accused Boris Johnson of ‘betrayal’ in angry phone call over Huawei decision by John T Bennett (Independent)
• HR McMaster to publish book that may pose headaches for Trump by Martin Pengelly (The Guardian)
• Supreme Court to Hear Case on Gay Rights and Foster Care by Adam Liptak  (NY Times)
• At Supreme Court, a Case on Abuse of the No-Fly List by Adam Liptak (NY Times)
• Trump accused Boris Johnson of ‘betrayal’ after slamming the phone down on him in a moment of ‘apoplectic’ fury by Adam Bienkov (Business Insider)
• Schumer calls on Trump admin to sanction Russia over election meddling by Marianne Levine (Politico)
• ‘They won’t survive’: Trump gas wells would block pronghorn migration route by Cassidy Randall (The Guardian)
• 1by Nicole Narea (Vox)
• Trump administration weighs emergency funds to combat coronavirus (Al Jazeera)
• Ginni Thomas reportedly leading purge of “disloyal” Trump aides by Igor Derysh (Salon)

Analysis

• Legal Immigration Is Down 11%. Trump’s Wall Isn’t the Reason by Zolan Kanno-Youngs (NY Times)
• Trump’s explanation for abruptly replacing the acting intel director with a loyalist doesn’t make sense by Aaron Rupar (Vox)
• Trump’s explanation for abruptly replacing the acting intel director with a loyalist doesn’t make sense by Aaron Rupar (Vox)
• Trump’s Lackeys Now Pose a Grave National Security Threat by Fred Kaplan (Slate)

Opinion

• Awful new details about Trump’s purge should alarm us all by Greg Sargent (Washington Post)
• By any means necessary: Trump’s prepared to cheat again in 2020 — and lie about it shamelessly by Heather Digby Parton (Salon)
• Trump plays a dangerous game in weakening the top intelligence job by John D. Negroponte and Edward M. Wittenstein (Washington Post)

News

• Trump loves a big crowd. He’ll get one of his biggest in India. by Anita Kumar (Politico)
• India Set To Welcome Trump, Whose First Stop Will Be In Modi’s Home State Of Gujarat by Lauren Frayer (NPR)
• Trump adviser denies intelligence claims of Russian election meddling by Dave Maclean (Independent)
• White House preparing to ask Congress for funds to combat coronavirus: report by Justin Wise (The Hill)
• Sen. Murphy calls Trump ‘a gift to Russia’ by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico)
• Trump’s approval rating rises, boosting chances of winning second term by Martin Pengelly (The Guardian)
• Trump makes veiled threat toward Schiff over classified briefing on Russian 2020 election interference by Felicia Sonmez (Washington Post)
• Trump accuses Adam Schiff of leaking claim that Russia is helping Bernie Sanders by Dave Maclean (Independent)

News

• Election-Year Trump Says He’s Ready To Float Farmers On Another River Of Taxpayer Cash by Mary Papenfuss (Huffington Post)
• Donald Trump Jr granted permit to hunt grizzly bears in Alaska by Yareth Rosen (Independent)
• Trump visits a big foreign market — for the U.S. and for Trump Org by Anita Kumar (Politico)
• Trump’s Nevada play leaves nation’s nuclear waste in limbo by Eric Wolff, Anthony Adragna (Politico)
• ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Overlooks Health Issues, Lawyers and Migrants Say by Zolan Kanno-Youngs (NY Times)
• U.S. blocking G20 mention of climate change in draft communique, diplomats say by Michael Nienaber and Andrea Shalal (Reuters)
• Trump Is Directly Trying to Block Publication of John Bolton’s Book by Daniel Politi (Slate)
• As President Trump Heads to India, the U.S. Struggles to Forge a Trade Deal Between the Two Countries by Paul Wiseman / AP (TIME)
• Trump Security Adviser Unsurprisingly Says He’s Seen No Evidence Of Russia Helping Trump by Carla Herreria, Hayley Miller (Huffington Post)

Analysis

• Donald Trump and the audacity of hype by Calvin Woodward, Hope Yen, and Josh Boak (AP)

News

• Trump hints at possible pardon for Roger Stone (Al Jazeera)
• ‘Parasite’ studio fires back after Trump criticism: ‘He can’t read’ by Morgan Gstalter (The Hill)
• Russia meddling to help Trump win re-election, US lawmakers hear (BBC)
• Trump embarks on expansive search for disloyalty as administration-wide purge escalates by Toluse Olorunnipa, Ashley Parker, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post)
• Supreme Court removes last remaining obstacle to immigrant ‘wealth test’ by Robert Barnes (Washington Post)
• The reports about Russian meddling in the 2020 election, and Trump’s response, explained by Cameron Peters (Vox)
• William Barr to meet Republican senators amid tensions with Trump by Andrew Desidero (Politico)
• Mike Bloomberg is going after Trump with billboards mocking him for eating burnt steak and cheating at golf by Eliza Relman (Business Insider)
• Trump names right-wing troll Richard Grenell to run national intelligence: What could go wrong? by Heather Digby Parton (Salon)
• Trump’s New Spy Chief Used to Work for a Foreign Politician the U.S. Accused of Corruption by Isaac Arnsdorf (ProPublica)
• Trump’s new intel chief was a Trump critic in 2016 by Natasha Bertrand (Politico)
• Trump slurs through speech as he mocks Joe Biden’s stutter by Danielle Zoellner (Independent)
• Trump makes string of racist comments about Native Americans during attack on Elizabeth Warren by Oliver O’Connell (Independent)
• Bette Midler Has Divine Comeback To Trump’s ‘Parasite’ Comments by David Moye (Huffington Post)
• Trump Costing Taxpayers And Putting Money In His Pocket With Stay At His Own Hotel by S.V. Date (Huffington Post)
• Trump’s New Spy Chief Used to Work for a Foreign Politician the U.S. Accused of Corruption by Isaac Arnsdorf (ProPublica)
• Richard Grenell Begins Overhauling Intelligence Office, Prompting Fears of Partisanship by Julian E. Barnes, Adam Goldman, and Nicholas Fandos (NY Times)

Opinion

• Trump’s Colorado rally featured an extended meltdown over 30 seconds of critical Fox News coverage by Aaron Rupar (Vox)
• The King Lear Era of Donald Trump’s Presidency by Dahlia Lithwick (Slate)
• Sonia Sotomayor Just Accused the Supreme Court’s Conservatives of Bias Toward the Trump Administration by Mark Joseph Stern (Slate)
• The Foxification of the intelligence community follows the DOJ script by Matt Gertz (Media Matters)
• Where Might Trumpism Take Us? by Jamelle Bouie (NY Times)
• Cripple the Intelligence Agencies? Not Smart by The Editorial Board (NY Times)

Roger Stone

• Trump adviser Roger Stone faces judge who will sentence him by Sarah N. Lynch, Jan Wolfe (Reuters)
• Trump ally Roger Stone sentenced to prison (BBC)
• Roger Stone Sentenced To More Than 3 Years Amid Furor Over Trump And DOJ by Ryan Lucas, Philip Ewing (NPR)

Russia

• Intel Official Says Russia Is Trying to Re-Elect Trump by Kevin Drum (Mother Jones)
• US intelligence warned House members Russia is working to get Trump re-elected – reports by Julian Borger (The Guardian)
• Russia trying to get Trump re-elected, intelligence officials reportedly tell Congress by Phil Thomas (Independent)
• Russia denies backing Trump’s re-election as critics blast reported interference (Reuters)

Other News

• Bloomberg Bombs in Democratic Debate as Warren Fights Back by Molly Ball, Philip Elliott (TIME)
• White House Appoints Outspoken Ambassador As New Acting Head Of Intelligence by Scott Neuman (NPR)
• Trump allies target Mueller team, one by one by Daniel Lippman, Natasha Bertrand (Politico)
• GOP Group Uses Billboard Truck To Ask William Barr A Very Simple Question by Lee Moran (Huffington Post)
• Trump criticised for appointing loyalist Grenell as acting spy chief (BBC)
• Trump repeatedly struggles to pronounce words during conspiracy-laden rally, before suggesting he’ll pardon Roger Stone in late-night tweet by Tom Embury-Dennis (Independent)
• More than 1,000 veterans speak out against Trump’s ‘sustained attacks’ on Vindman by Justin Wise (The Hill)
• Mulvaney says U.S. is ‘desperate’ for more legal immigrants by Nick Miroff and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post)
• Bloomberg roundly attacked by rivals in fiercest Democratic debate so far by Sam Levin (The Guardian)
• Trump to tap Florida official as homeland security adviser by Daniel Lippman (Politico)
• Why the US ambassador to Germany is now also the new acting head of US intelligence by Cameron Peters (Vox)
• Trump Sidelined Acting Spy Chief After Russian Meddling Briefing: Reports by Nick Visser (Huffington Post)
• Trump Complains South Korea’s ‘Parasite’ Won Best Picture Oscar: ‘Was It Good?’ by Nick Visser (Huffington Post)
• Trump considering Doug Collins as nominee for director of national intelligence by Brett Samuels (The Hill)
• Another former Fox News employee has a cabinet-level position. Here are some things to know about Richard Grenell. by Eric Kleefeld (Media Matters)

Opinion

• Roger Stone just got 40 months. Get ready for what Trump will do next. by Paul Waldman (Washington Post)
• Donald Trump’s use of clemency undermines the rule of law by Austin Sarat (The Guardian)

Barr / DOJ

• William Barr is not planning to resign over Trump tweets, says Justice Department in response to reports by Jon Sharman (Independent)
• Against wishes of Barr, Trump fires off more tweets about the Justice Department by John Wagner, Matt Zapotosky, and Devlin Barrett (Washington Post)
• Judges postpone emergency meeting to discuss Trump, Barr: Report (Al Jazeera)
• Republicans plead with Trump to leave Barr alone by Burgess Everett, Marianne Levine (Politico)
• The Fall of the DOJ by Dahlia Lithwick (Slate)

Other News

• Trump campaign hires alum of controversial data company by Alex Isenstadt (Politco)
• Trump’s next health care move: Giving Silicon Valley your medical data by Darius Tahir, Adam Cancryn (Politico)
• Trump to open world’s biggest cricket stadium during India visit (Al Jazeera)
• Timeline of Trump’s shifting justifications for Soleimani killing by Joseph Stepansky (Al Jazeera)
• US official who certified Ukraine aid resigns at Trump’s request (Al Jazeera)
• Trump dismisses John Rood, the Pentagon’s policy chief by Paul Sonne and Missy Ryan (Washington Post)
• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange alleges that Trump offered him a pardon if he denied that Russia hacked the DNC by Sonam Sheth (Business Insider)
• Julian Assange Claims Trump Offered a Pardon for Help Covering Up Russia’s 2016 Hacking by Greg Walters (VICE)
• Trump picks pardon requests from wealthy pals and GOP donors by Michael Biesecker (AP)
• Trump accused of “questionable delay tactics” as E. Jean Carroll seeks DNA to prove rape accusation by Matthew Chapman (Salon)
• Trump seeks deal on foreign workers that could anger base by Anita Kumar (Politico)
• Trump signs order diverting water to California farmers against state wishes by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill)
• Trump Names Richard Grenell Acting Director Of National Intelligence by Hayley Miller (Huffington Post)
• Elizabeth Warren’s evisceration of Mike Bloomberg should make Donald Trump nervous by Emily Stewart (Vox)

Opinion

• Trump’s latest pardons show how quickly he’s normalizing corruption by Aaron Rupar (Vox)

Roger Stone / Barr

• Trump threatens to sue his investigators and demands Roger Stone case be ‘thrown out’ by John T Bennett (Independent)
• Trump’s call for Roger Stone to receive a new trial, briefly explained by Aaron Rupar (Vox)
• US attorney general ‘considers resignation’ over Trump tweets (Al Jazeera)
• U.S. Attorney General Barr considers quitting over Trump tweets: source (Reuters)

Pardons/ Clemency

• Trump grants clemency to high-profile individuals, including Rod Blagojevich, Michael Milken and Bernard Kerik by Anne Gearan, Josh Dawsey, Beth Reinhard, and Colby Itkowitz (Washington Post)
• The Rod Blagojevich scandal and Trump’s commutation of his sentence, explained by Andrew Prokop  (Vox)
• Trump goes on clemency spree, and the list is long (Al Jazeera)
• Trump announces a blitz of pardons and commutations by Caitlin Oprysko (Politico)
• Trump Issues Pardons for Another Round of White-Collar Criminals He Knows Socially by Ben Mathis-Lilley (Slate)

Other News

• John Bolton Teases Ukraine Scandal Details In Upcoming Book, Sparks Online Backlash by Lee Moran (Huffington Post)
• Former Ethics Chief Mocks Ivanka Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded ‘Corporate Trip’ To Dubai by Mary Papenfuss (Huffington Post)
• Kenan Thompson, Hasan Minhaj Named For White House Correspondents’ Dinner by Lee Moran (Huffington Post)
• Trump blasts proposed restrictions on China trade, wants China to buy U.S. jet engines (Reuters)
• Mark Zuckerberg and Trump have struck deal to help president get re-elected, says George Soros by Samuel Lovett (Independent)
• Trump administration targets Russian oil company for helping Venezuela skirt sanctions by Caitlin Oprysko (Politico)
• Trump didn’t plan to win presidency and admitted he only ran to make more money than Bill Clinton, Andrew Neil reveals by Alex Woodward (Independent)
• Trump suggests he may sue over Mueller investigation by Brett Samuels (The Hill)
• Post-impeachment, Trump declares himself the ‘chief law enforcement officer’ of America by Toluse Olorunnipa and Beth Reinhard (Washington Post)
• ACLU races to stop ice from deleting years of records, including data on detainee deaths and sexual assault reports by Chantal da Silva (Newsweek)
• Trump’s Plan to Plant a Trillion Saplings Misses the Forest for the Trees by Jackie Flynn Mogensen (Mother Jones)
• Trump blasts Garcetti on immigration as he returns to LA by Jeremy B. White (Politico)
• Lawyers in Suit Seeking Trump’s DNA Accuse Him of Trying ‘to Stop the Truth From Ever Coming Out’ by Jennifer Peltz / AP (TIME)
• Trump campaign takes out full-page newspaper ad ahead of Nevada debate by Tal Axelrod (The Hill)
• Trump pledges federal support for Los Angeles in hosting 2028 Olympics by Brett Samuels (The Hill)

Analysis

• Trump’s expansive view of executive power gets a post-impeachment surge by Nancy Cook (Politico)
• The Trump Administration Finally Broke the Anti-Trafficking Movement by Melissa Gira Grant (The New Republic)
• The Coronavirus Outbreak Could Bring Out the Worst in Trump by Peter Nicholas (The Atlantic)

Opinion

• The Saudi crown prince has learned he can persecute Americans with no pushback from Trump or Pompeo by The Editorial Board (Washington Post)

News

• Trump Attends Wedding Of White House Aides Stephen Miller And Katie Waldman by AP (Huffington Post)
• Trump campaign manager deletes Air Force One photo after it is pointed out it is from 2004 by Aris Folley (The Hill)
• Trump speaks with Turkey’s Erdogan amid growing tensions in Syria by John Bowden (The Hill)
• Barr Aimed To Block Turkish Bank Indictment After Erdogan Asked Trump For Help: Report by Mary Papenfuss (Huffington Post)
• U.S. Judges Call Emergency Meeting Over Fears About William Barr And Trump: Report by Mary Papenfuss (Huffington Post)
• Trump’s new travel ban relies on intelligence agencies he repeatedly attacked by John T Bennett (Independent)

Analysis

• Trump’s exaggerations on Roger Stone sentence by Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward (AP)
• America Is Alone in Its Cold War With China by Uri Friedman (The Atlantic)

News

• Trump drives massive turnout in primaries despite token opposition by Alex Isenstadt (Politico)
• Trump to test racing skills, mingle with supporters at Daytona 500 by Jeff Mason (Reuters)
• Federal court unanimously strikes down Trump administration plan to kick some people off of Medicaid by Alex Henderson (Salon)
• Impeachment witness Alexander Vindman won’t be probed despite President Trump’s urging, Army says by Alex Hennderson (Salon)
• White House Memo Admits There Was No “Imminent Threat” Before Soleimani Assassination by Elliot Hannon (Slate)
• Trump serves as Grand Marshal of Daytona 500 and takes lap around race track in ‘The Beast’ by Chris Riotta (Independent)
• More than 1,100 ex-Justice Department officials call for Barr’s resignation by Devlin Barrett (Washington Post)
• 1,100 Former DOJ Employees Call On Barr To Resign After Intervening In Stone Case by Bobby Allyn (NPR)
• Trump camp finds no appeasement at Munich by Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico)

Opinion

• ‘Something has to be done’: Trump’s quest to rewrite history of the Russia probe by Philip Rucker (Washington Post)
• In his assault on justice, Trump has out-Nixoned Nixon by Robert Reich (Guardian)