Update 4am London:
Developing
Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit https://t.co/qJ8PZ21nPv pic.twitter.com/P9dRiluTF8
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) January 26, 2018
Trump’s Effort to Fire Mueller: Reactions to the New York Times Report https://t.co/PX6Kf0vCXs
— Lawfare (@lawfareblog) January 26, 2018
Coming up with fake reasons for firing those investigating him and his inner circle turns out to be a standard operating procedure for @realDonaldTrump. Blaming the firing of Comey on unfairness to Hillary was like blaming the firing of Mueller on conflict over golf fees.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) January 26, 2018
Who leaked this? Probably McGahn (perhaps with Cobb).
Why now? Well, its effect will presumably be a negative reaction to firing Mueller. Which may well mean Trump recently returned to the idea, and this is a desperate effort by McGahn to stop him again. https://t.co/a0uGeNwYFQ— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 26, 2018
On eight occasions since June – when Trump ordered the firing of Mueller – Trump and his aides have told the press he was NOT considering firing Mueller, via @MarshallCohen https://t.co/OpRTNnsVDC
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 26, 2018
Remember that there is no attorney/client privilege between Trump and McGahn. McGhan is a government employee who represents the Presidency not the President.
— Doug Mataconis (@dmataconis) January 26, 2018
Totally normal that the Attorney General, FBI Director, and White House Counsel would threaten to resign or offer their resignation in the 1st year of a Presidency over three different topics.
— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) January 26, 2018
Whomever Don McGahn's crisis communications person is, they're going to be able to charge future clients an obscene rate for their services.
They're killing it. https://t.co/8Lk7WIhYTg
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) January 26, 2018
Before you canonize McGahn remember he pressured Sessions not to recuse. I bet his objection was not that firing Mueller was wrong but that it was dangerous. Also, this is not the 1st leak to paint McGahn in a good light at Trump's expense. If I were Trump I'd wonder about McGahn
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 26, 2018
This is also Don McGahn. https://t.co/rgRF0HI221 pic.twitter.com/AaaNUPhJH0
— David Frum (@davidfrum) January 26, 2018
Analysis: It’s looking more and more like there is a coordinated GOP effort to discredit the Trump-Russia investigation https://t.co/tAspxpQgwC
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 25, 2018
Hannity’s lead story tonight. pic.twitter.com/ZaqE1vDO9V
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 26, 2018
Sean Hannity: The New York Times is trying to distract you. They say Trump tried to fire Mueller, but our sources aren’t confirming that!
Sean Hannity, minutes later: Alright, yeah, maybe our sources confirm Trump wanted to fire Mueller. But so what? That’s his right. Anywho… pic.twitter.com/yUIt7Un56d
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 26, 2018
Today’s conveniently-timed @NewYorker cartoon, by Brendan Loper. pic.twitter.com/HPqNDTBIOi
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 26, 2018
Earlier: May happy to be ‘liked’ by Trump
Trump plans to visit the U.K. later this year, May’s office says https://t.co/jvvQ5EOR9h pic.twitter.com/U4OIDAJaiK
— Bloomberg (@business) January 25, 2018
Trump rejects free trade, opposes immigration, turns back refugees, denies climate change, denounces Iran nuclear deal, attacks media/courts, embraces autocrats, demeans women, and speaks to racists/ultranationalists. my take on what to look for in Davos: https://t.co/5gSP04lYCN
— Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) January 25, 2018
WATCH: A weak U.S. dollar may hurt Trump's attempts to sell his 'America First' agenda at #WEF18, reports @OneHitGit for @ReutersTV in Davos https://t.co/RAptcaTUAb pic.twitter.com/fche6C5y3v
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) January 25, 2018
Trump tells the press that he and @theresa_may "like each other a lot", whilst she sits next to him nodding like a lapdog. Do you, Prime Minister? Do you like this racist, misogynistic bully a lot? Or are you just desperate for anyone to be your "friend"?
— Laura C #FBPE (@smilinglaura) January 25, 2018
I think that “false rumor” might have stemmed from @POTUS trolling of @theresa_may on Twitter after retweeting a slimy video from Britain First, a far right, extremist party, for which May rebuked Trump.
Just sayin’. https://t.co/lVOtZ0p6p6— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 25, 2018
Trump constantly interrupts Theresa May in phone calls: report https://t.co/18AmAgSryT pic.twitter.com/KkWax02U4d
— The Hill (@thehill) January 25, 2018
***
TRUMPWORLD
This week, the 11 TPP countries, now without the U.S., have officially reached an agreement. https://t.co/LiXjNZ33Qf
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) January 25, 2018
Trump says he's open to re-entering TPP one day after Canada announces deal without US https://t.co/roV69wIjKT pic.twitter.com/c2UHh0F9Ax
— The Hill (@thehill) January 25, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee finishing investigation into a June 2016 meeting between Russians and President Trump's campaign, and the chairman of that panel wants to release transcripts from interviews with Trump's son and others. https://t.co/ph8VSIOfdd
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 25, 2018
JUST IN: GOP senator admits "secret society" texts may have been a joke after linking them to anti-Trump conspiracy https://t.co/w7RevaeKeF pic.twitter.com/GD6ZIWRsKg
— The Hill (@thehill) January 25, 2018
Hell of a @RobertMaguire_ scoop. A dark money group with Rubio campaign ties raised $28.7M in 2016. Its haul just one year earlier: $327,000 https://t.co/BDtqlcZcRS
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) January 25, 2018
Yes, interview Trump dead-enders. But don’t ask them what they think. Ask them why they think it. https://t.co/JTz0m1YoCD
— Dan Froomkin (@froomkin) January 25, 2018
New national football league run by Vince McMahon will require players to stand for national anthem https://t.co/dqfJxQUa8r pic.twitter.com/3MNjW0virs
— The Hill (@thehill) January 26, 2018
***
WORLD
South Korean Olympic officials just scoped out venues in North Korea that their skiers might use — including an airport that has been used for firing drills/missile launches https://t.co/HxIErszyX7 pic.twitter.com/vxWGZKNKFn
— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) January 25, 2018
Trump withholds hundreds of millions in Palestinian aid because Palestinians didn't meet with Mike Pence over Trump's Jerusalem decision https://t.co/EczXpRFY1g pic.twitter.com/nbId87XR5k
— Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) January 25, 2018
oh and…
Doomsday Clock moved to just 2min to 'apocalypse' https://t.co/piIYQ0oK3p
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 25, 2018
***
BATSHIT BREXIT BRITAIN
We need a better understanding of what Britain wants from Brexit, Ireland's PM @campaignforleo says https://t.co/Qha9fpQQbr #WEF18 pic.twitter.com/lzZFNcz7WC
— Bloomberg Brexit (@Brexit) January 25, 2018
It's delusional reasoning that Brexit 'demands' the restoration of the executive. The DUP are fundamentalist Brexiteers while SF is campaigning for the North to keep EU rules. The gap on Brexit is as huge as the DUP's opposition to the rights' issues.
— Danny Morrison (@molloy1916) January 25, 2018
Friday's Guardian
"May's leadership under threat as fresh Tory revolt erupts over Brexit"#tomorrowspaperstoday#bbcpapers
(via @AllieHBNews) pic.twitter.com/ANsfp51KsK— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 25, 2018
David Cameron was recorded at the World Economic Forum in Davos saying the Leave vote was "a mistake not a disaster" and that Brexit has "turned out less badly than we first thought" https://t.co/PYzP3RFkEg pic.twitter.com/xr0hT3Zy5Q
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) January 25, 2018