memeorandum: The Left's Doomed Effort to Coerce the Right (Megan McArdle/Bloomberg)

12:00 PM ET, December 4, 2016

Top Items:

Polina Devitt / Reuters:

Putin says Trump clever, will understand new responsibilities — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is a clever man and will quickly understand his new responsibilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with NTV TV. — Putin has spoken previously of his hope …

Discussion: AOL, alan.com and The Week

Associated Press:

The Latest: Pence Shrugs off Questions on Taiwan Call — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times local): — Vice President-elect Mike Pence says Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan's leader was a “courtesy call” and does not necessarily reflect a shift in U.S. policy.

Discussion: Politico

Fox News:
Why Trump was right to talk with Taiwan's president

Discussion: New York Times and Occupy Democrats

Jane Perlez / New York Times:
Taiwan Call Gives China a Clue on What to Expect From Donald Trump

Discussion: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, BizPac Review, Business Insider, AOL, New York Magazine, RedState, Balloon Juice, Talking Points Memo, BBC and Washington Post

Nicola Smith / The Guardian:
Trump's Taiwan phone call preceded by hotel development inquiry

Discussion: Mediaite, Occupy Democrats and BuzzFeed

Scott Adams' Blog:
Scott Adams' Blog

Discussion: neo-neocon, Talking Points Memo and CNN

NBC News:
Donald Trump's Call With Taiwan President Was No Surprise: Official

Discussion: NBC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Bloomberg, CBS New York, BizPac Review, New York Times, CNN, TheBlaze, The Guardian and Mother Jones

Stan Collender / Forbes:

You Heard It Here First: Trump May Not Propose A Budget Next Year — The Trump administration is seriously thinking about not submitting a budget to Congress next year . — Although the Congressional Budget Act requires the president to submit the fiscal 2018 budget to Congress between January 2 …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

CBS Pittsburgh:

Green Party Drops Statewide Pennsylvania Recount — HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP/KDKA) - Green Party-backed voters dropped a court case Saturday night that had sought to force a statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, in what Green Party …

Discussion: Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Law News, Power Line, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, BuzzFeed and Daily Kos

Steve Eder / New York Times:
Jill Stein's Pennsylvania Recount Effort Is Dealt a Major Setback

Discussion: The Verge

Caitlin McCabe / Philly.com:
Jill Stein campaign drops recount effort in Pa.

Discussion: Detroit Free Press, Associated Press, NPR, Lawyers, Guns & Money and TheBlaze

The Eagle: The Latest: Green Party drops statewide Pennsylvania recount

Bloomberg:

Trump Takes ‘Thank-You Tour’ to Wealthy Donor's Costume Ball — President-elect pays respects to billionaire Robert Mercer — Trump comes as himself at ‘Villains and Heroes’ gathering — President-elect Donald Trump took a break from the blue-collar Midwestern rallies of his …

Discussion: TMZ.com

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Trump attends lavish costume party — arrived for an upscale costume party Saturday night on Long Island, according to pool reports. — Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway shared a photo of herself alongside Trump while wearing a Superwoman costume for the “Heroes and Villains” themed party, tweeting, “Honoring the ultimate hero.”

Discussion: Washington Post, Gothamist, Politico, NBC News, ABC News, BizPac Review, Raw Story and Mediaite

Nikita Vladimirov / The Hill:

Lieberman: Dems won't win with slide to left — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) argues the Democratic Party will not win elections if the liberal wing of the party takes over. — “Here is my fear about the future of the Democratic Party. In a way, relatively speaking, Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and alan.com

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Trump: Companies that leave the US will face ‘retribution’ — on Sunday warned that businesses planning to leave the U.S. will face consequences. — The president-elect tweeted that his administration will “substantially reduce taxes and regulations on businesses.”

Discussion: alan.com

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

Baldwin offers to stop ‘SNL’ impersonation if Trump releases taxes — Alec Baldwin is offering to end his impersonation of Donald Trump — on “Saturday Night Live” if the president-elect releases his tax returns. — The actor's tweet came early Sunday in response to one from Trump …

Discussion: Fox News Insider, RedState, The Verge, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Mashable, ABC News, Newser and NBC News

Nicki Rossoll / ABC News:

Petraeus on His Mishandling of Classified Information: ‘I Made a Mistake’ — David Petraeus, a former general and CIA director, responded to reported concerns of some Republican senators about his possible nomination for secretary of state by acknowledging he “made a serious mistake” …

Discussion: Politico

Mattie Kahn / ELLE:

Bertolucci Admits He Conspired to Shoot a Non-Consensual Rape Scene in ‘Last Tango in Paris’ — The director said he didn't tell star Maria Schneider because he “wanted her reaction as a girl not as an actress.” — CONTENT NOTICE: This article contains disturbing stories of rape and assault.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Deadline

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

AP: Huntsman among secretary of State possibilities — is reportedly open to expanding his short list of candidates for secretary of State to include former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. — Huntsman was one of the possibilities reported by The Associated Press on Saturday night, citing a source close to the Trump transition.

Discussion: RedState, Associated Press and Outside the Beltway

Art Swift / Gallup:

Americans' Support for Electoral College Rises Sharply — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' support for keeping the Electoral College system for electing presidents has increased sharply. Weeks after the 2016 election, 47% of Americans say they want to keep the Electoral College …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, RedState and CANNONFIRE

Bloomberg:

Rouhani Urges Obama to Block Iran Sanctions Law Extension — Trump election has boosted U.S. opponents of nuclear accord — Majority of Iran's parliament call for reciprocal action — Iran urged Barack Obama to block a law that would extend the U.S. president's authority to impose sanctions …

Discussion: Reuters and The Week