Friday's Morning Email: Why The Obstruction Of Justice Probe Of Trump Is Heating Up
TOP STORIES
(And want to get The Morning Email each weekday? Sign up here.)
NEW QUESTIONS OVER POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE A bombshell New York Times report suggests President Donald Trump personally attempted to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from the Russia probe. According to the report, a White House lawyer also attempted to mislead the president in order to prevent him from firing then-FBI Director James Comey. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO REQUEST $18 BILLION OVER NEXT DECADE FOR 700 MORE MILES OF NEW AND REPLACEMENT BORDER WALL “The request, if granted, would be a major expansion from the 654 miles of barrier now, bringing the total to nearly 1,000 miles—about half of the entire southwest border.” [WSJ | Paywall]
AFTER PRESIDENT’S LAWYER TRIED TO STOP RELEASE OF EXPLOSIVE TRUMPWORLD BOOK, THE PUBLISHER PUSHED THE DATE TO MIDNIGHT Washington political nerds were lining up like it was a Harry Potter release to snag a copy of Michael Wolff’s bombshell work, following a cease-and-desist letter from Trump’s attorneys. And the Bannon fallout continues, with top billionaire backer Rebekah Mercer siding with Trump. Bannon’s role guiding Breitbart is in jeopardy, and he now has a newly assigned nickname courtesy of the president ― Sloppy Steve. [HuffPost]
JEFF SESSIONS IS UNLEASHING FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ON LEGAL MARIJUANA In a rollback of Obama-era policies. And Democrats aren’t sure about whether they should make it an election issue. [HuffPost]
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES MASSIVE EXPANSION OF OFFSHORE DRILLING “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has proposed a sweeping new offshore drilling plan aimed at opening huge swaths of the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans to oil exploration as part of the Trump administration’s plan to transform the United States into a fossil fuel juggernaut.” [HuffPost]
THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS CANCELED AMID WINTER VORTEX Up and down the East Coast, authorities declared states of emergency. Take a look at how much the bomb cyclone blasted the East. And dogs left out in the cold died “frozen solid.” [HuffPost]
WISCONSIN IS QUIETLY BECOMING THE 2018 SENATE RACE TO WATCH Amanda Terkel dissects how Sen. Tammy Baldwin is battling more outside spending by conservative groups than all of her Democratic colleagues combined. [HuffPost]
NORTH KOREA ACCEPTS ‘OFFER OF DIALOGUE’ FROM SOUTH KOREA “The talks will be held at the border truce village of Panmunjom and officials from both sides are expected to discuss the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the improvement of inter-Korean relations, ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told a regular briefing.” [Reuters]
AND TRUMP OFTEN TALKS ABOUT WAR WITH NORTH KOREA Here’s how horrific that would be. [HuffPost]
WHAT’S BREWING
TOP TALENT AGENCY CUTS TIES WITH DANNY MASTERSON AMID RAPE ALLEGATIONS A month after Netflix fired him from “The Ranch.” [HuffPost]
MUSLIMS MAY BECOME AMERICA’S SECOND-LARGEST RELIGIOUS GROUP According to Pew Research Center, they could outnumber Jews by 2040. [HuffPost]
LAY OFF THE ROMAINE We know you’re trying to load up on salad with those resolutions and all, but turns out the leafy green is behind a E. Coli outbreak in the U.S. [Time]
WINTER MAY BE HERE But new episodes of “Game of Thrones” are definitely not coming until 2019. [HuffPost]
YES, THE GOLDEN GLOBES ARE THIS WEEKEND We didn’t have any idea either, but in preparation, here’s what they looked like in 1998. Boy, how things have changed. [HuffPost]
THIS PHOTO OF DOUG JONES’ GAY SON GIVING MIKE PENCE SIDE-EYE Is giving the internet life. [HuffPost]
SINCE PRINCE HARRY IS OFF THE MARKET Here are 10 royals you can still marry. [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
How sexism plays into Hoda Kotb’s salary.
Alex Trebek is taking a leave of absence from “Jeopardy!” after brain surgery.
“After Dow 25,000, the party has to end. But when?”
Remember Roy Moore’s Jewish lawyer? He’s Christian now.
The Met is changing its pay-as-you-wish strategy, and you should read Jerry Saltz’s love letter to the museum in protest.
Why Philip Morris is saying it’s trying to give up cigarettes.
No, the “raw water” craze isn’t really the best idea.
The top 16 movies vying for that Best Picture Oscar.
Leave it to Ellen to get Diddy to reveal his secret engagement.
Why are people so excited about In-N-Out offering hot cocoa?
“Run, don’t walk, to replace your iPhone battery for $29.”
If you haven’t watched the new Bruno Mars, Cardi B music video for “Finesse”, you aren’t doing your Friday right.
More bad news for coral reefs.
Check out these healthier comfort food recipes, because no one should have to totally give up cheese.
Of course Goop sells something called a coffee enema.
And we could look at these photos of dogs in drive-throughs all day long.
And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
