Day 20: Nevertheless, she persisted.

By Matt Kiser

Feb 8, 2017

This edition is 1,129 words, a 5½‑minute read.

  1. Jeff Sessions confirmed as Attorney General: Sessions survived a near-party-line vote, 52 to 47, in the latest sign of the extreme partisanship at play as Trump strains to install his cabinet. No Republicans broke ranks in their support. (New York Times)

    • How senators voted on Sessions. (New York Times)
    • Why Jeff Sessions is so uniquely dangerous: He won’t prioritize citizens who have had their lives ruined by racial disparities in policing. (Esquire)

  2. Republicans vote to rebuke Elizabeth Warren for impugning Sessions’s character: In an extraordinarily rare move, Mitch McConnell interrupted Warren’s speech. (Washington Post)

    • Silencing Elizabeth Warren backfires on Senate GOP: Warren went straight from the Senate floor to a call-in appearance on MSNBC. (CNN)
    • “Nevertheless, she persisted” becomes new battle cry after McConnell silences Elizabeth Warren. (Washington Post)
    • Jeff Merkley reads Coretta Scott King’s letter about Jeff Sessions on Senate floor.

  3. Appeals Court panel appears skeptical of Trump’s travel ban: The judges seemed taken aback by the assertiveness of the administration’s position. (New York Times)

    • Trump decries “disgraceful” opposition as appeals court weighs immigration order. (Washington Post)

  4. House Republicans voted to eliminate the only federal agency that makes sure voting machines can’t be hacked. (The Nation)

  5. Trump invites sheriff to “destroy” Texas state lawmaker who opposes asset forfeiture. (Politico)

  6. Leaks suggest Trump’s own team is alarmed by his conduct: an impulsive, sometimes petty chief executive. (Huffington Post)

  7. Yemen withdraws permission for U.S. antiterror ground missions after a failed raid. (New York Times)

  8. US military to rent space in Trump Tower: The Pentagon needs to rent a more expensive space closer to Trump’s penthouse. (CNN)

  9. Trump faults media while lying about murder rate: Trump has suggested that national news media suppresses bad news about violence. (CNN)

    • Trump says his critics “pull out the racist card”. (Washington Post)
    • Conway clashes with CNN’s Jake Tapper on air. (Politico)

  10. Democrats to plot anti-Trump strategy in Congress and at the polls. (Washington Post)

  11. White House weighs terrorist designation for Muslim Brotherhood. (New York Times)

  12. Spicer: Nordstrom dropping Ivanka Trump’s line is “direct attack on Trump”. (Talking Points Memo)

  • Nordstrom’s shares up nearly 5 percent after clash with Trump. (Vox)
  1. Republicans push carbon tax at White House: A straightforward way to address climate change. (Bloomberg)