Trump told White House officials he wanted to quit NATO

President repeatedly said he wanted to exit the alliance. No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Tuesday, January 15 TRUMP SAID HE WANTED NATO EXIT Senior White House officials say that several times over the course of 2018, President Donald Trump privately said he wanted to withdraw the U.S. from NATO — the one thing President Vladimir Putin of Russia desires more than anything else. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] GOP PUNISHES WHITE SUPREMACIST Republican leaders have stripped Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) of all of his committee assignments following the outcry over the lawmaker’s latest white supremacist and racist rhetoric. [HuffPost] MCCONNELL: NO PLACE FOR RACIAL SUPREMACY Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rebuked King for his comments to The New York Times, saying, “There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind.” [HuffPost] NUNES CAUGHT UP IN MUELLER PROBE The Special Counsel’s Office is reportedly scrutinizing a meeting involving former House intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes, then-national security adviser Michael Flynn, and dozens of foreign officials at a Trump hotel in Washington days before the inauguration. [The Daily Beast] TRUMP NOT BACKING DOWN ON WALL Trump maintained his hard line on the partial government shutdown over his demand for border wall funding, telling farmers at a convention in New Orleans:  “When it comes to keeping the American people safe, I will never, ever back down.” [HuffPost] TRUMP DENIES HE’S A RUSSIAN STOOGE Trump finally denied ever working for the Russian government after a report published last week that the FBI opened an investigation in 2017 into whether he was an agent of the Kremlin. “I never worked for Russia,” he told reporters, adding: “Not only did I never work for Russia, but I think it’s a disgrace that you even asked that question. Because it’s a whole big fat hoax. It’s just a hoax.” [HuffPost]         MOST AMERICANS UNDER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORSHIPS With the inaugurations of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday, a majority of Americans now live in a state with a Democratic governor. [HuffPost] KAVANAUGH REPLACEMENT BLAMED VICTIMS FOR RAPE Neomi Rao, Trump’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals, once called race a “hot, money-making issue” and suggested women who are raped while they are drunk should bear some responsibility for their attacks. [HuffPost] WILDFIRE-LINKED POWER COMPANY BANKRUPT Pacific Gas and Electric, the power company blamed for sparking several devastating wildfires in California in recent years, announced it will file for bankruptcy later this month. [HuffPost] DEMS TO PRESS AG PICK OVER MUELLER William Barr, Trump’s nominee to become the nation’s 85th attorney general, is trying to alleviate concerns about his potential oversight of Robert Mueller’s ongoing special counsel investigation examining Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Democrats are far from convinced that Barr would protect the Russia probe, and plan to use his confirmation hearing to extract additional commitments. [HuffPost] WHITE HOUSE BAFFLED BY TRUMP FOX INTERVIEW Trump surprised White House aides by calling in to Jeanine Pirro’s show on Fox News on Saturday night to push back against coverage of his presidency, particularly published reports about his suspicious actions involving Russia. White House aides expressed regret that the president did not more clearly and forcefully deny being a Russian agent. [AP] CANADIAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN CHINA The family of a Canadian man who has been sentenced to death in China say their "worst fears" have been realized. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was given a 15-year jail term in November, but on Monday a court said the sentence for drug smuggling was too lenient. [BBC]       Seeds on board China's Chang'e-4 mission have sprouted, marking the first time any biological matter has grown on the moon. Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who says she had an affair with Trump, filed a lawsuit against Ohio police officers who arrested her in a strip club last summer. Ardent foe of socialized medicine Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is planning to undergo hernia surgery in Canada, where medical care is publicly funded and universally provided. Trump was mocked by hundreds of protesters outside a farmers convention in New Orleans with a twist on a chant he has heard many times: “Lock him up!” Accidental opioid overdoses are not only on the rise but are now the most common preventable cause of death in the U.S. for the first time. A Northwestern student took her own life. Is a sorority to blame? Let go of these 14 toxic thoughts if you want to be happier. The mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk has died in a hospital, a day after being stabbed at a charity event. Emmy-winning former “The Americans” star Matthew Rhys has been tapped for the lead in “Perry Mason,” HBO’s limited series. How “traditional masculinity” hurts the men who believe in it most. These are the most stunning looks from the Critics’ Choice Awards. Commuters stuck in the Holland Tunnel between Lower Manhattan and New Jersey don’t know it, but super-secure quantum cabling is being tested outside their car windows. Pay off your student loans faster with these seven tips. Native Americans and supporters are furious after Trump casually referred to the Wound Knee massacre, which killed hundreds of unarmed people, to make a racist dig at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). After delivering the biggest box office hit in “Mission: Impossible” history, Paramount Pictures has reportedly signed director Christopher McQuarrie to write and direct the next two films in the franchise. Here’s why Americans need Marie Kondo right now. 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