memeorandum: In Mr. Pence's new D.C. neighborhood, not exactly the welcome wagon (Ian Shapira/Washington Post)

1:15 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, The Week and alan.com

Fox News:

Why Trump was right to talk with Taiwan's president — China and the Washington foreign policy establishment thought they could tell President-elect Donald Trump whom he can and cannot speak with on the phone. They thought wrong. — On Friday, Trump received a congratulatory call …

Discussion: New York Times, Occupy Democrats and The Guardian

Associated Press:
The Latest: Pence Shrugs off Questions on Taiwan Call

Discussion: Politico

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

Discussion: Mediaite, Occupy Democrats and BuzzFeed

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

Discussion: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Bloomberg, CBS New York, BizPac Review, TheBlaze, NBC News, Business Insider, AOL, Mother Jones, New York Magazine, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice and BBC

Scott Adams' Blog:
Scott Adams' Blog

Discussion: CNN, neo-neocon and Talking Points Memo

Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Company Has No Plans to Invest in Taiwan, Aides Say

Discussion: The Daily Signal

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: Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice and The Talking Dog

Steve Eder / New York Times:

Jill Stein's Pennsylvania Recount Effort Is Dealt a Major Setback — Pennsylvania appears increasingly unlikely to have a statewide recount of its votes, diminishing the last long-shot hope by opponents of Donald J. Trump that a review of the ballots could overturn his election as president.

Discussion: The Verge

CBS Pittsburgh:
Green Party Drops Statewide Pennsylvania Recount

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

Fox News:
Green Party switches strategy in Pennsylvania recount

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Law News

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

Discussion: Associated Press, Detroit Free 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: RedState, Washington Post, Gothamist, Politico, alan.com, ABC News, BizPac Review, NBC News, 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

Ian Shapira / Washington Post:

In Mr. Pence's new D.C. neighborhood, not exactly the welcome wagon — In the affluent Washington neighborhood of Chevy Chase, the tinsel, poinsettias and Christmas trees are competing for attention this holiday season with an unusual house decoration: gay pride rainbow flags.

Discussion: alan.com

John Whitesides / Reuters:

Trump to intervene to keep U.S. jobs at home on ‘day-by-day’ basis, Pence says — President-elect Donald Trump, fresh off a deal to keep nearly 1,000 U.S. jobs in the country, will decide whether to intervene with other companies to keep them from moving jobs overseas “on a day-by-day basis …

Discussion: alan.com and The Week

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.”

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

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, The Moderate Voice, WTVR-TV, RedState, Independent Journal Review, TheBlaze, ABC News, The Verge, Mashable, NBC News, Mediaite and Newser

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.