Tipsheet: Five takeaways from Barr's new powers in 'spying' probe

View in your browser     Five takeaways from Barr's new powers in 'spying' probe BY MORGAN CHALFANT President Trump this week gave Attorney General William Barr new authorities to examine and possibly release classified material related to the Justice Department’s inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation. Here are five takeaways from the move. Read the full story here     Federal judge partially blocks Trump's $1 billion border wall plan BY BROOKE SEIPEL AND RACHEL FRAZIN A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, partially blocking President Trump's plan to fund a border wall with Mexico using money from the Defense Department. Read the full story here     Senators say Trump using loophole to push through Saudi arms sale BY REBECCA KHEEL The Trump administration has invoked an emergency provision of the law governing arms sales to immediately sell Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies weapons without congressional approval, senators said Friday. Read the full story here     Trump arrives in Japan to kick off 4-day state visit BY JESSE BYRNES President Trump arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday for his weekend trip to be the first state guest of Japan since the enthronement of its new emperor. Read the full story here       Trump to send 1,500 troops to Middle East to counter Iran BY ELLEN MITCHELL AND JORDAN FABIAN   President Trump on Friday announced that the U.S. will send roughly 1,500 troops to the Middle East in order to counter Iran's influence in the region. Read the full story here     Supreme Court agrees to pause partisan gerrymander rulings for Ohio, Michigan BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to pause a pair of lower court rulings ordering that Ohio and Michigan redraw their district maps ahead of the 2020 election. Read the full story here     DNC boss says candidates to be involved in debate lottery BY JONATHAN EASLEY Democratic candidates for president or their representatives will be involved when the Democratic National Committee (DNC) does a lottery to determine who stands on stage during the party’s initial two-day debate, DNC Chairman Tom Perez told The Hill in an exclusive interview. Read the full story here     Senate Democrats to House: Tamp down the impeachment talk BY ALEXANDER BOLTON Senate Democrats want the House to cool it on impeachment.  Read the full story here     Judge halts Mississippi abortion law BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN A federal judge on Friday blocked a Mississippi law that banned abortions once a fetus's heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Read the full story here     Conservative blocks House passage of disaster relief bill BY JULIEGRACE BRUFKE Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, blocked a disaster relief bill in the House on Friday by objecting to an unanimous consent vote. Read the full story here     Julian Assange indictment endangers press freedom BY ALAN DERSHOWITZ Opinion | The federal indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange this week for publishing stolen classified information raises serious First Amendment issues. Assange already has been indicted for improperly trying to obtain a password that would have accessed classified material. But the current indictment is different. This latest one is for the constitutionally protected act of publishing such classified material stolen by another individual. Read the full story here     The progressive case against impeachment BY KRYSTAL BALL Opinion | In another time and context, President Trump’s behavior in office would have led to his impeachment and conviction in the Senate. But impeachment today represents a wholly inappropriate approach to dealing with his presidency. Impeachment might be a so-so tactic for damaging Trump himself, but it’s a disastrous way to deal with “Trumpism.” And Trumpism is a much graver threat to Americans than Trump himself. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Potential Clash Over Secrets Looms Between Justice Dept. and CIA BY JULIAN E. BARNES AND DAVID E. SANGER President Trump’s order allowing Attorney General William P. Barr to declassify any intelligence that led to the Russia investigation sets up a potential confrontation with the C.I.A. It effectively strips the agency of its most critical power: choosing which secrets it shares and which ones remain hidden. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: 2020 Dem primary calendar may boost Hispanic voter clout BY WILL WEISSERT Hispanics make up just 6% of the population in Iowa, which holds caucuses Feb. 3, and barely half that percentage in New Hampshire, which goes next. But then comes Nevada, where almost 30% of people are Hispanic. And, just 10 days later this cycle, California and Texas — home to 13-plus million eligible Hispanic voters, nearly half of all such voters nationwide, according to the Pew Research Center — vote on “Super Tuesday.” Read the full story here     Reuters: Why US-Iran tensions could quickly escalate into a crisis BY PHIL STEWART AND MICHELLE NICHOLS Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the current Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, have never spoken directly, according to Iran’s mission at the United Nations. They instead tend to communicate through name-calling on Twitter or through the media. Read the full story here     NBC News: US Citizenship and Immigration Services director asked to resign BY JULIA AINSLEY The director of the agency overseeing legal entry into the United States, including through green cards and asylum, was asked to resign from the agency on Friday, according to a letter sent out to the agency and obtained by NBC News. Read the full story here     CNN: Ex-GOP congressman calls for impeachment, says Trump an 'illegitimate president' BY DEVAN COLE A former longtime Republican congressman called Friday for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, who he said is an "illegitimate president." Read the full story here   Did a friend forward you this email? 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