Top Items:
New York Times:
McCain Calls Russian Hacking a ‘Form of Warfare’ — John McCain says there is no doubt about Russian hacking, which he called “warfare.” — President-elect Donald J. Trump formally names John F. Kelly, a retired Marine general, as secretary of homeland security.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice, alan.com, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Mediaite
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell rejects special panel for Russian election interference allegations — (R-Ky.) on Monday said recent findings by the CIA that the Russian government tied to influence the U.S. presidential election should be investigated by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Discussion:
ABC News, RedState, Daily Kos, twitchy.com and Politico
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Bolton: Russian hacks could actually have been by Obama administration — Ambassador John Bolton claimed Sunday that hacks during the election season could have been “a false flag” operation — possibly committed by the Obama administration itself. — In an interview with Fox News' Eric Shawn …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hot Air, BillMoyers.com, The Week, TheBlaze, Political Wire, The Guardian and Scared Monkeys
Cyra Master / The Hill:
Bolton questions if Russian hacks were ‘false flag’ — 's State Department, questioned reports of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. — “It is not at all clear to me, just viewing this from the outside, that this hacking into the DNC and the RNC was not a false flag operation …
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, New York Magazine, Raw Story and Washington Post
Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Electors demand intelligence briefing before Electoral College vote — In its first show of public support for efforts questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump's victory, Hillary Clinton's campaign said it is supporting a request by members of the Electoral College for an intelligence briefing …
Discussion:
The Hill, Weasel Zippers and ballot-access.org
RELATED:
Christine Pelosi:
Bipartisan Electors Ask James Clapper: Release Facts on Outside Interference in U.S. Election — Open Letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: — We are Electors who were selected by the voters of our states to represent them in the Electoral College on December 19, 2016.
Discussion:
The Hill, Weasel Zippers and Politicus USA
Michael Edison Hayden / ABC News:
Donald Trump Adviser Kellyanne Conway Says President-Elect 'Doesn't Want Interference in Our Politics' — Adviser Kellyanne Conway today sought to clarify Donald Trump's rejection of claims that Russia had sought to tip the balance in the U.S. presidential election by saying that …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, TIME, Politico and The Daily Caller
Brent Griffiths / Politico:
Conway: Moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem ‘big priority’ for Trump
Conway: Moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem ‘big priority’ for Trump
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Arnie Seipel / NPR:
FACT CHECK: Trump Claims A ‘Massive Landslide Victory’ — But History Differs
FACT CHECK: Trump Claims A ‘Massive Landslide Victory’ — But History Differs
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
David Frum / The Atlantic:
Five Questions About Russia's Election Hacking — The evidence to support the CIA's conclusion that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump remains mostly secret. But the outline of the case is no mystery. Both Democratic and Republican Party servers were reportedly hacked …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Tainted Election — The C.I.A., according to The Washington Post, has now determined that hackers working for the Russian government worked to tilt the 2016 election to Donald Trump. This has actually been obvious for months, but the agency was reluctant to state that conclusion …
Andrew Malcolm / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Obama mocked Romney over Russia, but now he blames Russia for Trump
Obama mocked Romney over Russia, but now he blames Russia for Trump
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, ABC News, Business Insider, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, AOL, RedState and Viking Pundit
John Fund / National Review:
What's Behind Trump's Move to the Right? — He owes nothing to the old guard, he sees a window for bold reforms, and he knows who his enemies are. — The biggest surprise Donald Trump has provided as president-elect is just how conservative a cabinet he is putting together.
Discussion:
Shot in the Dark
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Juan Williams / The Hill:
Who will survive in Trump's reality show?
The Independent:
China flies nuclear bomber over South China Sea to ‘send a message’ to Donald Trump — China flew a nuclear-capable bomber outside its borders in a show of force less than a week before US President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with the president of Taiwan, it has been reported.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, NPR and Patterico's Pontifications
Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Democrats fear another Trump trouncing — As Donald Trump's inauguration draws near, Democrats fear they remain woefully unprepared to fight the new president's agenda. — The party loses its standard-bearer once President Barack Obama leaves office, and the Democratic National Committee …
Discussion:
Raw Story and No More Mister Nice Blog
Knoxville News-Sentinel:
Sam Venable: Santa grants a final wish — Eric Schmitt-Matzen looks every bit the part of Santa Claus. — His 6-foot frame carries 310 pounds, leaving “just enough of a lap for the kids to sit on,” he says with a gentle Kringley chuckle right out of Central Casting. — No fake facial fuzz for this guy.
Discussion:
TheBlaze, FOX2now.com, AOL and Fox News Insider
Emily Rauhala / Washington Post:
Trump draws rebuke after saying U.S. isn't bound by One China policy — BEIJING — President-elect Trump is talking about Taiwan again — and nobody, it seems, is pleased about his comments on the nearly four-decade-old basis of U.S.-Chinese relations. — In an interview broadcast Sunday …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
RELATED:
Ali Breland / The Hill:
Senate fails to confirm FCC Commissioner after lengthy battle — Jessica Rosenworcel will be forced step down from her post as commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission after Congress finished it last legislative session of the year on Saturday without confirming her.
Discussion:
RedState
The Cipher Brief:
Fmr. CIA Acting Dir. Michael Morell: “This Is the Political Equivalent of 9/11” — The Washington Post report on a secret CIA assessment concluding that Russia intervened in the U.S. Presidential election with the intention of helping President-elect Donald Trump win is only part …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Politico
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Donald Trump is a ‘smart person’ in case you forgot — Donald Trump sat down with “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace over the weekend. In the interview, he made clear that he has no plans to abandon the free-wheeling style that got him elected. Using Genius, I annotated it. You can too!
Niall Stanage / The Hill:
Dems grapple with lessons from Clinton disaster — Democrats are grappling with how to draw the right lessons — and avoid the wrong ones — after an extraordinary presidential election. — Hillary Clinton — 's loss to Donald Trump — is an unmitigated disaster for Democrats, who want to ensure nothing like it happens again.