Tipsheet: Sessions fires McCabe from FBI — Sponsored by FICO

View in your browser     Sessions fires McCabe from FBI By Katie Bo Williams      Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday fired Andrew McCabe, the No. 2 official at the FBI and a longtime target of President Trump. McCabe's ouster comes just days before he was scheduled to retire after more than 20 years at the bureau. Read the full story here     Pressure builds on Sessions for second special counsel By Katie Bo Williams Attorney General Jeff Sessions is under mounting pressure from the right to appoint a second special counsel to investigate conservative allegations of abuse at the Department of Justice and the FBI. Read the full story here     Trump takes victory lap on McCabe firing: 'A great day for democracy' By Jacqueline Thomsen President Trump celebrated the firing of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe late Friday on Twitter, calling it a “great day for Democracy" and "a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI." Read the full story here     Kelly tells White House staff no more personnel changes coming By Jonathan Easley Chief of staff John Kelly briefed White House staff on Friday to reassure them that there will be no more dismissals at this time, according to a White House official. Read the full story here     Republicans on defensive over Russia report finding By Katie Bo Williams Republicans are on the defensive about their own announcement concluding the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russia's election interference. Read the full story here     McCabe says Republicans 'mischaracterized' testimony to bolster Nunes memo By John Bowden Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Friday accused Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee of having "mischaracterized" his testimony used to bolster a controversial memo alleging surveillance abuses by FBI and Justice Department officials. Read the full story here     Trump legal team moves to shift Stormy Daniels case to federal court By Jacqueline Thomsen President Trump's legal team on Friday filed paperwork to move the lawsuit filed against him by adult film star Stormy Daniels to federal court. Read the full story here     Republican drops Senate primary challenge to Heller after Trump's urging By Ban Kamisar Danny Tarkanian, a perennial Republican candidate who had planned a primary challenge to Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), will now run for the House instead after President Trump convinced him to halt his Senate bid.  Read the full story here     Flynn endorses Maxine Waters challenger By John Bowden Former national security adviser Michael Flynn endorsed a GOP challenger to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Friday, his first public appearance since pleading guilty last year to lying to the FBI and announcing he would cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller. Read the full story here     Shepard Smith announces 'previously planned' vacation amid Hannity, Ingraham spat By Joe Concha Fox News chief news anchor Shepard Smith announced Friday afternoon he was taking a "previously-planned one-week vacation" and joked that when he returns "everything will be peachy-keen & hunky-dory." Read the full story here         SPONSORED CONTENT   Sponsored by FICO Don't be fooled. VantageScore is not an independent startup -- it's owned by the three credit bureaus. Allowing the credit bureaus to offer a credit score they own and control in mortgage lending decisions would consolidate their power over the entire credit reporting process. That's not good for competition or for consumers. Read More.         Russia is already warmed up for a massive attack on US energy grid By Morgan Wright OPINION | Putin is treating Ukraine as a tune-up fight for the real heavyweight bout down the road.  Read the full story here     Selling you out: Mass public surveillance for corporate gain By Jeramie D. Scott OPINION | When most people think of mass surveillance databases, the first thing that comes to mind is the government or an agency like the NSA. But the government is not the only one in the business of creating massive surveillance databases. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Spies, Not Diplomats, Take Lead Role in Planning Trump’s North Korea Meeting By Mark Landler    The Central Intelligence Agency has emerged as the primary player in President Trump’s audacious diplomatic opening to North Korea, several officials said on Friday, conducting back-channel communications and taking a major role in planning Mr. Trump’s coming meeting with Kim Jong-un, the country’s ruler. Read the full story here     CNN: Trump settles in as producer in chief By Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak   Midway through the first year of his presidency, Donald Trump had an idea. Wouldn't it be fun, he told an associate, to revive his hit NBC reality show "The Apprentice" inside the White House, using his own staffers as the contestants and the West Wing as his board room? The idea, conveyed to CNN by two people familiar with the conversation, was quickly squelched by aides. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump’s possible China tariffs send opponents scrambling By Lisa Mascaro and Josh Boak   President Donald Trump is considering sweeping tariffs on imports from China, with an announcement possible as early as next week. And that has industry groups and some lawmakers scrambling to prevent the next front in a potential trade war that could reverberate across the U.S. economy. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: 5 reasons Trump would have wanted Andrew McCabe fired By Callum Borchers Andrew McCabe stepped down as the FBI's deputy director in January and had planned to officially retire on Sunday, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired him Friday night — a little more than 24 hours before the 20-year bureau veteran would have qualified for full retirement benefits. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump and John Kelly Reach Truce By Michael C. Bender and  Rebecca Ballhaus   President Donald Trump and John Kelly have settled on a truce, at least temporarily, to keep the chief of staff in place as the White House grapples with the turbulence of several senior departures and the prospect of further changes to come. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet           Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.