Conservative Dem Faces Threat From Progressives, Pentagon Mulls Removing McMaster From WH, And Rubio Breaks From NRA

February 22nd, 2018 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Can ‘The Resistance’ Defeat One Of The Most Conservative Democrats In Congress?]( The Gist: Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) has spent his career sticking his fingers in the eyes of progressives, vocally bucking his party on everything from abortion to Obamacare to gay rights, with few repercussions. In less than a month, they have their first real chance to strike back. [CNN: Pentagon Mulling Options To Move McMaster Out Of WH, Back Into Military]( The Gist: The Pentagon is exploring options that would give President Donald Trump the ability to move National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster out of his role in the White House and back to the military, according to a new report from CNN. [Rubio Supports Raising Legal Age To Buy Rifles, Rethinking High-Capacity Guns]( The Gist: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday broke with the National Rifle Association and said he supports bipartisan legislation that would increase the legal age for purchasing a rifle. Rubio also said he is rethinking his previous support of high-capacity magazines. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- TPM's Cameron Joseph can attest to just how tangled and complicated Jared Kushner’s assets are, having fought through just a sliver of financial filings on his properties for [TPM's recent piece]( looking at his ongoing failure to get his personal financial disclosure forms squared away. But it’s been more than a year since Kushner became a top White House official, and nearly a year since he filed his personal financial disclosure, so it’s unclear why his team still hasn’t been able to get this right—especially given the high level of scrutiny his finances continue to face and the quality of his lawyers' work. “I know he’s well represented, I just have to believe his representatives didn’t have all the information they needed up front, or even six months,” former Office of Government Ethics head Don Fox told TPM. But as Fox pointed out, “The information is only as good as the client is producing.” Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "Perhaps there will be a smoking gun with Trump and Putin – or something equally concrete and intentional. As I noted at the outset, I tend to doubt it. But mainly that’s just caution and the fact that I don’t assume things I don’t know. I doubted a bunch of things I’ve already found out happened. Far more likely, in typical Trumpian fashion, he made it known to his various favorites and toadies what he wanted done and they went ahead and did it. Remember that in the Trump moral universe, what helps Trump is right and vice versa. [There’s no moral compass beyond pure self-interest](. That’s the Trump pattern. If he didn’t touch the third rail himself, he knows his cronies probably did. And that explains all the obstruction from pretty much day one." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "It’s interesting that so many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats, but the media doesn’t talk about that either." - Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) on Wednesday [discussing]( the recent Florida high school shooting and accusing Democrats of committing mass murders. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "I am on the verge of tears. These kids want to have a discussion on how to make their lives safer, and Trump suggests surrounding them with more guns? And what about the staff that is being armed? Their job description now becomes "Serving lunch, and defending the school against armed intrusion"? How do they get trained? What kind of protective gear will they be issued and required to wear on a daily basis? And what if, in the execution of their duties, they screw up and kill a child? Who takes care of them in their anguish? We can't talk about banning weapons of war, or better background checks, or a national insurance policy paid for by gun owners. No, that's all impossible, would never work, wouldn't save any lives. But turning a school into a fortress guarded by janitors and lunch workers? That will solve your problem." Related: [Trump Proposes Arming School Staff: ‘It Could Very Well Solve Your Problem’]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- Gov. Scott Skirted Russia Sanctions To Offer Tax Breaks To Maker Of AK-47 Assault Rifles ([Florida Bulldog]( This Is The Worst Roommate Story You’ll Ever Read ([The Daily Intelligencer]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](