| | | | FBI refused WH request to knock down recent Trump-Russia stories | | | The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump's associates and Russians known to US intelligence during the 2016 presidential campaign, multiple US officials briefed on the matter tell CNN's Jim Sciutto, Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, Manu Raju and Pamela Brown in this blockbuster. But a White House official said late Thursday that the request was only made after the FBI indicated to the White House it did not believe the reporting to be accurate.
According to CNN's reporting, White House officials had sought the help of the bureau and other agencies investigating the Russia matter to say that the reports were wrong and that there had been no contacts, the officials said. The reports of the contacts were first published by The New York Times and CNN on February 14. | | "It's a military operation." -- President Donald Trump on his administration's moves to deport undocumented immigrants. Press secretary Sean Spicer later walked it back, saying Trump was "using that as an adjective ... clearly describing the manner of which this is being done." | | | White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who usually avoids the spotlight, outlined President Donald Trump's agenda before an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
"I think one of the most pivotal moments in modern American history was his immediate withdrawal from TPP. It got us out of a trade deal and let our sovereignty come back to ourselves," Bannon said of Trump, referring to the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. (Nightcap fact check: The TPP was already dead on arrival on Capitol Hill. But labor unions did appreciate Trump's move.)
He was joined by Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus -- the two men discussed Trump's electoral victory, the administration's agenda and railed against the media together as they worked to dispel notions that they are rivals competing for power and influence within the West Wing. "Well, in regard to us two, I think the biggest misconception is everything that you're reading," Priebus said. More from CNN's Jeremy Diamond. | | Notes from the Democratic divide | | The Democratic Party has converged on Atlanta, where the 442 DNC members with votes will decide between former Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison -- or one of five long shots -- to become the party's new chairman on Saturday morning.
Perez has momentum. He just picked up an endorsement from Jaime Harrison, the South Carolina Democratic chairman and until he dropped out today was the third-place contender in behind-the-scenes whip counts. Here's how Team Tom sees the math right now: They already had about 200 votes. Harrison had around 30 supporters, and 20 or so of those will head into Perez's camp. If their count is right, that puts him on the precipice. Look for Ellison's backers to make a fierce late push tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the red states: Five progressive groups -- CREDO, #AllOfUs, Democracy for America, Other98 and 350 Action -- jointly called on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to boot West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin out of Democratic leadership over his vote to confirm Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
Why this matters: Earlier this month, Eric explored whether the all-consuming anti-Donald Trump backlash on the left put Democrats at risk of papering over the white working-class problems they had in the 2016 election. This question is going to keep coming up: There are 10 Democratic senators in Trump states up for re-election in 2018. Will North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp, Indiana's Joe Donnelly, Missouri's Claire McCaskill and Montana's Jon Tester get any room to do anything but vehemently oppose Trump on everything large and small? What sort of backlash will they face? | | | Nigel Farage, who was a supporter of Brexit and who campaigned for Donald Trump last year, was spotted at the Conservative Political Action Conference downing a beer. | | 5 things you might have missed today | | Politicization of intelligence concerns: Trump has assigned the Department of Homeland Security, working with the Justice Department, to help build the legal case for its temporary travel ban on individuals from seven countries, a senior White House official tells CNN. Other Trump administration sources tell CNN this is an assignment that has caused concern among some administration intelligence officials, who see the White House charge as the politicization of intelligence -- or a conclusion in search of evidence to support it after being blocked by the courts. Still others in the intelligence community disagree with the conclusion and are finding their work disparaged by their own department.
Boehner: Obamacare won't be repealed. Former House Speaker John Boehner threw cold water Thursday on the prospect of congressional Republicans following through on their pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. "They'll fix Obamacare," the former Ohio congressman predicted at a conference hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in Orlando, Florida. "I shouldn't have called it repeal and replace because that's not what's going to happen. They're basically going to fix the flaws and put a more conservative box around it." More from CNN's Terence Burlij.
GOPers distance themselves from Trump's agenda at town halls: At the congressional town halls this week, Republican lawmakers have repeatedly hedged support for President Donald Trump's agenda, even in some cases contradicting their past statements. More from The Washington Post's David Weigel.
Transgender teen moves forward with SCOTUS challenge: Lawyers for Gavin Grimm, a transgender teen who is barred from using the boys' bathroom at his Virginia high school, told the Supreme Court that his challenge to the school board policy should go forward, arguing that the restrooms "must be equally available to all boys and all girls, including boys and girls who are transgender." More from CNN's Ariane de Vogue. Mexican officials tell US they don't agree: Mexican Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong did not mince words when speaking alongside his American counterpart in Mexico City. "We do not agree on the different measures that recently were stated by the government of the United States (that) affect Mexico," Osorio Chong said. More form CNN's Ryan Browne and Nicole Gaouette. | | | William McRaven, the retired admiral who designed and oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, said President Donald Trump's attack on the media threatens democracy. ... A Black History Month political #TBT: Rep. Mia Love was the first black woman elected to Congress. | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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