memeorandum: Russia challenges US to prove campaign hacking claims or shut up (Laura Smith-Spark/CNN)

2:20 PM ET, December 16, 2016

Top Items:

Hillary Clinton Ties Loss to Russian Hacking and Comey Letter — Hillary Clinton on Thursday night attributed her defeat to a convergence of two “unprecedented” events: the release of a letter by James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, shortly before the election, and what she called an …

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall.com, Politico, The Guardian, CNBC, NPR, Business Insider, The Week, Associated Press, Daily Kos, Political Wire, twitchy.com, Hit & Run, The Big Picture and The Mahablog, more at Mediagazer »

John Podesta / Washington Post:

Something is deeply broken at the FBI — John Podesta was chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. — The more we learn about the Russian plot to sabotage Hillary Clinton's campaign and elect Donald Trump, and the failure of the FBI to adequately respond, the more shocking it gets.

Discussion: Bloomberg, alan.com, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Hot Air, emptywheel, The Daily Caller, Politico, The Guardian, Mediaite, Raw Story, Law News, New York Magazine, Townhall.com, American Thinker, The Week, Mother Jones and RT

Wall Street Journal:

Republican National Committee Security Foiled Russian Hackers — Investigation calls it a less aggressive and much less persistent effort than the hacks of the Democratic National Committee — Russian hackers tried to penetrate the computer networks of the Republican National Committee …

Discussion: TheBlaze, Washington Free Beacon, Weasel Zippers, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Lid, RedState, The Week, Business Insider, Instapundit and AOL

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump has been lying about the Russian hack. He just accidentally admitted it himself. — THE MORNING PLUM: — In recent days, Donald Trump has been spinning a new narrative about CIA charges of Russian interference in our election: The administration did not leak the news of this finding until …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, New York Times, New Century Times, AOL and CNN

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Useful Idiots Galore — On Wednesday an editorial in The Times described Donald Trump as a “useful idiot” serving Russian interests. That may not be exactly right. After all, useful idiots are supposed to be unaware of how they're being used, but Mr. Trump probably knows very well how much he owes to Vladimir Putin.

Discussion: NBC News, Hullabaloo, BillMoyers.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, NO QUARTER USA NET and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Scott Detrow / NPR:

Obama On Russian Hacking: ‘We Need To Take Action. And We Will’ — President Obama says the United States will respond to Russian cyber-attacks that the intelligence community has concluded were part of an effort to influence the 2016 presidential election.

New York Times:

Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy? — Donald J. Trump's election has raised a question that few Americans ever imagined asking: Is our democracy in danger? With the possible exception of the Civil War, American democracy has never collapsed; indeed, no democracy as rich or as established as America's ever has.

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Princeton Election Consortium

Laura Smith-Spark / CNN:
Russia challenges US to prove campaign hacking claims or shut up

Discussion: Independent Journal Review, Business Insider, TheBlaze and Media Matters for America

CNN:
Russian hacking activity continues unabated

Discussion: alan.com

CNN: Gloves-off White House creates rift between Obama and Trump teams

Erin Kelly / USA Today:
Intelligence officials refuse to brief House panel on Russian hacking

Discussion: RealClearPolitics, Power Line, The Last Tradition, Global Guerrillas and Balloon Juice

NBC News:
Why Didn't Obama Do More About Russian Election Hack?

CNN:
Clinton says Putin grudge led Russia to hack Dem groups

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Fox News Insider, Washington Post, Politico, Business Insider, The American Mirror and Talking Points Memo

Barbara Starr / CNN:

US Defense official: Chinese warship stole US underwater drone — (CNN)A US oceanographic vessel Thursday had its underwater drone stolen by a Chinese warship literally right in front of the eyes of the American crew, a US defense official told CNN Friday. — In the latest encounter …

Discussion: Mother Jones, BBC, Daily Kos, The Guardian, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and Independent Journal Review

Missy Ryan / Washington Post:

Pentagon: Chinese naval ship seized an unmanned U.S. ocean glider in South China Sea — A Chinese naval ship seized an unmanned ocean glider that was being used by the U.S. Navy to test water conditions in international waters in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said Friday.

Discussion: Mediaite

Phil Stewart / Reuters:

China's Navy seizes American underwater drone in South China Sea — A Chinese Navy warship has seized an underwater drone deployed by an American oceanographic vessel in international waters in the South China Sea, triggering a formal demarche from the United States and a demand for its return …

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, Raw Story, New York Times and twitchy.com

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
U.S. Demands Return of Drone Seized by Chinese Warship

Discussion: CBS New York

David Friedman / Arutz Sheva:

Read Peter Beinart and you'll vote Donald Trump — His reflexive reaction to my involvement in the Trump candidacy lays bare how dangerous the Jewish left is to the State of Israel. — The writer serves as the President of American Friends of Bet El. He is a practicing trial lawyer …

Discussion: New York Times, Right Wing Watch, The Times of Israel, Power Line, The Guardian, Jezebel and Haaretz

Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Trump Chooses Hard-Liner as Ambassador to Israel

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, The Times of Israel, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week and Politico

Daniella Diaz / CNN:

Langley: Trump not planning to divest himself from his businesses — Washington (CNN)President-elect Donald Trump is not planning to divest from his businesses but will also not be involved with his companies when he enters the White House, the Wall Street Journal's Monica Langley told CNN's Anderson Cooper Thursday night.

Discussion: CNBC and Business Insider

Kara Swisher / Recode:
Who said what inside the Trump tech meeting: Immigration, paid maternity leave and becoming the ‘software president’

Discussion: CNBC

Michael Falcone / ABC News:
The Note: Russia Redux

Discussion: Politico, RedState, BizPac Review and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Raleigh News & Observer:

Roy Cooper threatens to sue as legislature moves to secure more power — RALEIGH — Legislative Republicans clashed fiercely with Gov.-elect Roy Cooper Thursday as the House and Senate voted to sharply limit his appointment powers - and Cooper vowed to sue them over any law he deems unconstitutional.

Discussion: News, Indy Week, Common Dreams, The Progressive Pulse, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and Raw Story

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Power Grab Would Make NC Guv One Of The Weakest In The Country

Discussion: CBS News

Tegna / WFAA-TV:

No record of ‘faithless elector’ Chris Suprun as a 9/11 first responder — Christopher Suprun portrays himself as a hero, but now his alleged decorated past is coming into question. Jason Whitely reports. … DALLAS - The Republican elector who has gotten national attention for refusing …

Discussion: RedState, National Review, Victory Girls Blog, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Law News, BizPac Review, Betsy's Page, ThinkProgress, Rush Limbaugh, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times and Gothamist

Jonathan Lemire / WHP:

Trump keeps reveling in election win at Pennsylvania rally — HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump's barnstorming tour across the states that won him the White House continues to feature far more taunts of triumph than notes of healing after a bruising election.

Discussion: New Century Times, Jezebel, Political Wire, Raw Story, The Week and The Root

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:

‘Nobody Is Getting Fooled!’: Face-Off Between Tucker Carlson, Newsweek Writer Goes Off the Rails — Fox News' Tucker Carlson faced off with Newsweek senior writer Kurt Eichenwald tonight and it didn't take long for things to blow up. — Right off the bat, Carlson made it clear …

Discussion: twitchy.com, TheBlaze, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, The Week, Fox News Insider and Raw Story

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Inmate turns down Obama clemency offer — A federal inmate in Texas has declined President Obama's offer for clemency, USA Today reported Friday. — Arnold Ray Jones applied for the president's clemency program for low-level drug offenders, and was accepted on August 3.

Discussion: alan.com

Francis Menton / Manhattan Contrarian:

The Impending Collapse Of The Global Warming Scare — Over the past three decades, the environmental movement has increasingly hitched its wagon to exactly one star as the overwhelming focus of the cause, namely “climate change.” Sure, issues of bona fide pollution like smog and untreated sewage …

Discussion: The Guardian

Ruth Everhart / Washington Post:

Our culture of purity celebrates the Virgin Mary. As a rape victim, that hurts me. — This opinion piece is by the Rev. Ruth Everhart, a pastor and the author of two spiritual memoirs. — Church culture tends to be fixated on sexual purity year-round, but during Advent, I'm tempted to blame it on the Virgin Mary.

Discussion: Mediaite and twitchy.com

Megan Cassidy / USA Today:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio renews birther claims about Obama's birth certificate … Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says a new video analysis shows that parts of Obama's birth certificate were copied from another certificate. After arguing his point for five years, Arpaio says he will turn this new evidence over to the fed.

Discussion: RedState and The Right Scoop