The Nation reports: A leaked copy of a draft executive order titled “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” obtained by The Investigative Fund and The Nation, reveals sweeping plans by the Trump administration to legalize discrimination. The four-page draft order, a copy of which is currently circulating among federal staff and advocacy organizations, construes religious organizations so broadly …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump threatened in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart to send U.S. troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military does more to control them itself, according to an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press. The excerpt of the call did not make clear …

The New York Daily News reports: He’s keeping his mouth zipped. A silent Anthony Weiner fled from reporters Wednesday outside his East Side apartment building amid reports that his online wooing of a 15-year-old girl could land him behind bars. The media chased the disgraced ex-congressman down the block outside the Zeckendorf Towers, with the 52-year estranged husband of Huma …

NBC News reports: Business is anything but usual for some of America’s largest companies, as they question — or blatantly decry — President Trump’s immigration ban. Google, Amazon, Starbucks, and Facebook are just a few of the big names to have stepped forward and denounce Trump’s executive order, which restricts the entry of refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, …

Politico reports: A federal judge has ordered a golf club owned by President Donald Trump to refund nearly $6 million to members who said Trump’s team essentially confiscated refundable deposits after taking over the country club in 2012 U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that the Trump National Jupiter Golf Club violated the contracts with members by retaining …

The Daily Record reports: Ranting Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage was the victim of some top trolling in Brussels as a fellow MEP held up a sign behind him claiming: “He’s lying to you”. Seb Dance scribbled the note on a piece of paper along with an arrow pointing to the ex-UKIP leader and carefully positioned it behind him during a …

The New York Times reports: Rex W. Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday in a 56 to 43 vote to become the nation’s 69th secretary of state just as serious strains have emerged with important international allies. The many votes against Mr. Tillerson’s confirmation made his selection among the …

American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer is ever so pissed. He writes: Many of us feared during the campaign that the confusing messages Mr. Trump was sending with regard to the homosexual agenda portended trouble were he to be elected. Unfortunately, those fears may now have been realized. President Obama enacted an executive order in 2014 forbidding any business …

Brian Tashman reports at Right Wing Watch: Today, televangelist Jim Bakker described his experience attending President Trump’s inauguration, recounting how he cried when he first set eyes on Trump. “I cried,” he said. “I just stood there and cried.” Bakker said God was telling him that all of his work promoting Trump’s candidacy helped make his presidency possible, noting that …

Sen. Susan Collins today became the first GOP member of the Senate to publicly announce that she will vote against billionaire Education Secretary nominee and anti-LGBT activist Betsy DeVos. It appears that GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski may follow suit shortly. The vote will surely be very close and it’s possible that DeVos will be the only Trump cabinet nominee to …

Via Mediaite: First Lady Melania Trump and her family are reconsidering leaving New York City, where she and her ten-year-old son Barron have arranged to stay through the school year. President Donald Trump recently spoke about the unusual arrangement, indicating that perhaps it was best for his wife and youngest son to stay in Manhattan for the time being. A …

The Guardian reports: Thousands of men convicted of offences that once criminalised homosexuality but are no longer on the statute book have been posthumously pardoned under a new law. A clause in the policing and crime bill, which received royal assent on Tuesday, extends to those who are dead the existing process of purging past criminal records. The general pardon …

Erick Erickson has the super sadz. He writes at The Insurgent: President Obama, with the support of the anti-Christian left, signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination by any federal contractor, without exception, against the gay community. It sounds both good and noble. The problem is those religious organizations adhering to their faith cannot now compete on a level playing …

The Hill reports: A Senate committee voted to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be attorney general on Wednesday, two days after the growing controversy surrounding President Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim nations led to the firing of an acting attorney general for insubordination. Sessions’ nomination now goes to the floor, where he is widely expected to be confirmed …

Whoa. Reuters Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler writes to his staff: The first 12 days of the Trump presidency (yes, that’s all it’s been!) have been memorable for all – and especially challenging for us in the news business. It’s not every day that a U.S. president calls journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth” or that his chief strategist …

The Week reports: Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee advanced President Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and Trump’s nominee for health secretary, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), on Wednesday with zero Democrats present. To do so required committee chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to suspend the committee rules, which normally require a quorum of at least one Democrat in …

Canada’s National Observer reports: A strongly-worded letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has prompted Fox News to apologize and delete a false report, posted on Twitter, that incorrectly described the alleged gunman of the Quebec City shooting as a Moroccan. Kate Purchase, director of communications in the Prime Minister’s Office, pointed out the “false and misleading language” in a …

Politico reports: One in four voters believe President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that millions of votes were illegally cast in the 2016 election, but more people believe that Trump benefited from any electoral malfeasance instead of Hillary Clinton. A new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey showed that 25 percent of registered voters say they agree with Trump that millions of people improperly …

Via press release from CNN: CNN anchor Jake Tapper and chief political correspondent Dana Bash will moderate a Town Hall Debate with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Texas Senator Ted Cruz on the future of Obamacare at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7. President Donald Trump has made repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act one of his top priorities …

The Chronicle Of Higher Education reports: Jerry L. Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, has been asked by President Trump to head up a new task force that will identify changes that should be made to the U.S. Department of Education’s policies and procedures, Mr. Falwell told The Chronicle on Tuesday. The exact scope, size, and mission of the task …