WTF Just Happened Today

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

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1/ Donald Trump delivered a series of raw and personal attacks on the media in a news conference for the ages. It was a return to what worked for him during the course of the 2016 campaign: A circuslike atmosphere in which he used the media — and his supporters’ distrust of the media — as a sort of tackling dummy to re-center the narrative on ground more favorable to him. Trump didn’t just run down the media — although he did a lot of that — but he also mocked various outlets, reviewed shows on cable TV that he likes (and doesn’t), told reporters to sit down and be quiet, and critiqued the quality of the questions he was being asked. There was a rawness to his attacks, a personal invective that seemed well beyond the typically antagonistic relationship that exists between the media and the president they cover. This was not a piece of political strategy. This came right from Trump’s gut. (Washington Post)

• Fact-checking Trump’s press conference. Here’s the rundown of the event. (PoltiFact)
• The transcript from Trump’s combative, grievance-filled press conference, along with analysis and annotations. (Washington Post)
• The most memorable lines from Trump’s news conference. His back-and-forth with reporters touched on everything from his critique of the media, his Electoral College margin of victory, the workings of his administration, former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation and more. (CNN)
• The 8 craziest moments of Trump’s impromptu press conference. In short, it was a doozy. Here’s the 8 most jaw-dropping moments. (Talking Points Memo)

2/ Trump laments, “I inherited a mess,” as he names new labor pick. Trump’s first choice for labor secretary is R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general for civil rights. Acosta is the first Hispanic to be tapped for Trump’s cabinet. (New York Times)

3/ Spies keep sensitive intelligence from Trump, underscoring deep mistrust. U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised. (Wall Street Journal)

• Office of Director of National Intelligence: We don’t withhold intel from Trump. “Any suggestion that the U.S. Intelligence Community is withholding information and not providing the best possible intelligence to the President and his national security team is not true,” an ODNI statement said. (Politico)

4/ House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz asks the Department of Justice to investigate the leaks surrounding Michael Flynn. The steady stream of “potentially classified” intelligence community leaks that have thrown the Trump administration into turmoil. (Politico)

• In FBI interview la...

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