memeorandum: NC legislators wrap up work on controversial bills (Craig Jarvis/Raleigh News & Observer)

4:30 PM ET, December 16, 2016

Top Items:

FBI backs CIA view that Russia intervened to help Trump win election — FBI Director James B. Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. have backed a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the presidency, according to U.S. officials.

Amy Chozick / New York Times:

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: MichelleMalkin.com, Washington Post, Townhall.com, Politico, ABC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Guardian, NPR, Mediaite, Associated Press, Business Insider, The Week, Daily Kos, TheBlaze, twitchy.com and Hit & Run, more at Mediagazer »

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: Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Liberty Unyielding, dailyrushbo.com, Weasel Zippers, Daily Kos, The Lid, Mediaite, TheBlaze, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, Hot Air, RedState, Business Insider and Instapundit

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: New York Times, ThinkProgress, NBC News, Mother Jones, CNN and New Century Times

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Obama didn't retaliate against Russia because he thought Clinton would win: report — The Obama administration decided not to retaliate against Russia for interfering in the presidential election because they did not want to start a cyber war and they expected Hillary Clinton — to win, NBC News reported Thursday.

Politico:

Obama talks Russian hacking and other key moments from the president's year-end news conference — As the White House spars with Donald Trump over Russian hacking of the American electoral system, President Barack Obama is giving what is likely to be his last news conference of the year.

Discussion: ABC News

CNN:
Obama: I told Putin ‘cut it out’ on hacking

Discussion: alan.com and The Gateway Pundit

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Useful Idiots Galore

Discussion: NBC News, Hullabaloo, CNBC, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, BillMoyers.com, Mother Jones, Cyberscoop, Business Insider, Daily Kos and Common Dreams

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

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

MaryAlice Parks / ABC News:
President Obama Calls Out Russia, Syria During Year-End News Conference

Discussion: Associated Press and Politico

John Podesta / Washington Post:
Something is deeply broken at the FBI

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

Discussion: New Century Times, TheBlaze and Hot Air

CNN:
Russian hacking activity continues unabated

Discussion: alan.com

Scott Detrow / NPR:
Obama On Russian Hacking: ‘We Need To Take Action. And We Will’

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

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, Raw Story, New York Magazine, New York Times and twitchy.com

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

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

Discussion: CNBC, The Verge and CBS New York

Craig Jarvis / Raleigh News & Observer:

NC legislators wrap up work on controversial bills — RALEIGH — State legislators wrapped up their work Friday on a pair of controversial bills that would deprive the incoming governor of a substantial part of his power to make appointments, and reshuffle the regulation of lobbyists, ethics complaints and elections.

Discussion: MSNBC, Political Wire, Business Insider, RT, abc11.com, Washington Post and ThinkProgress

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
NC House Speaker Says McCrory Has So Far Signed 1 Bill To Curb Guv Power

Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars, RedState and Washington Monthly

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

Discussion: CBS News

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

Eugene Scott / CNN:
Michelle Obama: ‘We are feeling what not having hope feels like’

Discussion: RedState, The Right Scoop and theGrio

Andrew Tavani / New York Times: Michelle Obama says America is entering a time of hopelessness

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: The Atlantic, New York Times, ThinkProgress, The Times of Israel, Right Wing Watch, Politico, Power Line, Jezebel and Haaretz

David Friedman / Arutz Sheva:
End the two-state narrative

Discussion: New York Magazine, CNN, Tablet Magazine, NPR and Common Dreams

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

Discussion: Haaretz, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, Jerusalem Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week and Politico

The Guardian:
Donald Trump's Israel ambassador is hardline pro-settler lawyer

Discussion: GreatAgain, Talking Points Memo, The Times of Israel, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Power Line

New York Times:

G.O.P. Plans to Replace Health Care Law With ‘Universal Access’ — WASHINGTON — House Republicans, responding to criticism that repealing the Affordable Care Act would leave millions without health insurance, said on Thursday that their goal in replacing President Obama's health law was to guarantee …

Discussion: ACASignups.net, Political Wire, Daily Kos, Hit & Run and News, Indy Week

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, ACS Blog, Independent Journal Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Victory Girls Blog, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Law News, Betsy's Page, ThinkProgress, BizPac Review, Rush Limbaugh and The Gateway Pundit

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, Raw Story, TheBlaze, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, The Week and Fox News Insider

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

Here's how Republicans plan to repeal Obamacare within weeks of Trump taking office — In the weeks following the presidential election, there's been some debate about whether Republicans would actually go through with repealing Obamacare as opposed to getting cold feet.

Discussion: Hot Air

Dana Liebelson / The Huffington Post:

White Nationalist Who Yelled ‘Hail Trump!’ Thinking About Congressional Run — It's just an idea at this point, but Richard Spencer is “taking it very seriously.” — WASHINGTON White nationalist Richard Spencer, riding a post-Trump wave of media fame, is entertaining the idea of running for U.S. Congress.

Discussion: RedState, CNBC and The Daily Caller