Top Items:
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
With No Warning, House Republicans Vote to Hobble Independent Ethics Office — House Republicans, defying their top leaders, voted Monday to significantly curtail the power of an independent ethics office set up in 2008 in the aftermath of corruption scandals that sent three members of Congress to jail.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Democratic Daily and Unqualified Offerings
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John Bresnahan / Politico:
House Republicans gut their own oversight — In one of their first moves of the new Congress, House Republicans have voted to gut their own independent ethics watchdog — a huge blow to cheerleaders of congressional oversight and one that dismantles major reforms adopted after the Jack Abramoff scandal.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Vox, Talking Points Memo, RedState and Daily Kos
CNN:
House GOP guts ethics panel — Washington (CNN)House Republicans voted Monday night in favor of a proposal that would weaken Congress' outside ethics watchdog and remove its independence. — Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte's proposal would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Balloon Juice
Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
House Republicans vote to rein in independent ethics office — Defying the wishes of their top leaders, House Republicans voted behind closed doors Monday night to rein the independent ethics office created eight years ago in the wake of a series of embarrassing congressional scandals.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily and The Week
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
House Republicans Vote to Rein In Serious Investigation of Republicans — When Republicans control Congress and a Democrat is president, it's all investigation all the time. It doesn't matter if any of the stuff they're investigating is genuinely scandalous or not. They just keep at it, month after endless month.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Wall Street Journal:
Robert Lighthizer Is Expected to Be Named U.S. Trade Representative — Donald Trump is also considering ways to bring his daughter and son-in-law into the administration — Donald Trump is expected to name Robert Lighthizer, a former trade official under President Ronald Reagan …
Discussion:
Washington Post and RedState
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Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Said to Pick Lighthizer for U.S. Trade Representative — Lawyer served as deputy trade representative under Reagan — Has represented large U.S. corporations as Skadden partner — Lawyer Robert Lighthizer, who was deputy trade representative during the Reagan administration …
Discussion:
The Week
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Trump: North Korea will be stopped — President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Monday evening that North Korea won't reach the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon that will be able to hit the United States. — “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Neri Zilber / The Daily Beast:
Police Grill Benjamin Netanyahu on Corruption Charges — TEL AVIV—The cold, hard realities of Israeli politics often are out of sync with American headlines. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's expansive speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last week was greeted by the public here not with a bang but a whimper.
Discussion:
The Resurgent
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Oren Liebermann / CNN:
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu questioned in corruption probe
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu questioned in corruption probe
Discussion:
The Week
Luke Baker / Reuters:
Investigators question Israel's Netanyahu over alleged receipt of gifts
Investigators question Israel's Netanyahu over alleged receipt of gifts
Discussion:
Law News, Associated Press and Oliver Willis
Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:
Assange To Hannity: Source For WikiLeaks Was Not Russian Government — In an exclusive interview with FOX News Channel's Sean Hannity the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange said Russia was not the source for the DNC and John Podesta hacks. — HANNITY: Can you say to the American people …
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Alex Stedman / Variety:
Fox News' Sean Hannity Lands Interview With WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange
Fox News' Sean Hannity Lands Interview With WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
BREAKING IN PLAYBOOK: SONNY PERDUE is Trump's leading pick for Ag secy — TRUMP returns to NYC, holding meetings at TRUMP TOWER — VOX will interview Barack Obama Jan. 6 — B'DAY: Mike Zapler — Good Monday morning. Happy New Year's Day, observed. Eighteen days until Inauguration Day.
Discussion:
The Resurgent
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CNN:
Donald Trump's New Year's Eve speech cited Dubai business partner — Hussain Sajwani, founder of the DAMAC Group — (CNN)Donald Trump gave a lengthy description of his electoral victory, and lavished praise upon a Dubai business partner, during a ten-minute speech to 800 paying guests at his Florida estate Saturday night.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine, The Week and NBC News
Paul Dallison / Politico:
Nude Neptune sunk by Facebook's privacy controls — A statue of Neptune in the Italian city of Bologna has fallen foul of Facebook's privacy policies, which claim it is “explicitly sexual.” — According to the Telegraph, local writer Elisa Barbari chose the 16th-century statue …
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CNN:
Adviser contradicts Trump: Russians hacked the US — Washington (CNN)A top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he thinks the Russians were involved in election-related hacking of the US — a very different view than that held by the incoming administration.
Discussion:
Post On Politics, The Week and alan.com
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Many in U.S. Skeptical Trump Can Handle Presidential Duties — PRINCETON, N.J. — As Donald Trump prepares to take the presidential oath on Jan. 20, less than half of Americans are confident in his ability to handle an international crisis (46%), to use military force wisely (47%) …
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Melanie Zanona / The Hill:
Most Americans doubt Trump can handle presidential duties
Most Americans doubt Trump can handle presidential duties
Discussion:
alan.com and twitchy.com
Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:
Joe Scarborough against the world — Joe Scarborough is fed up with his critics. — “I am sick and tired of people misrepresenting me and making snide assumptions and giving readers false conclusions,” the “Morning Joe” co-host told CNNMoney on Monday. In 2017, he said, he was “going to war against lies.”
Discussion:
IJR, Mediaite, Yahoo, TVNewser, RedState, Raw Story, BizPac Review, Business Insider, Hot Air, Politicus USA, The Week and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Melanie Zanona / The Hill:
Pelosi: Ball in GOP court on ObamaCare replacement — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Monday that the ball is in the GOP's court when it comes to replacing ObamaCare, according to reports. — Pelosi didn't necessarily rule out working with the GOP on replacing President …
Discussion:
TheBlaze and LifeNews.com
Harper Neidig / The Hill:
Former Chicago police chief blasts Black Lives Matter — Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Sunday blamed the Black Lives Matter movement for causing a rise in violent crime around the country. — During a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on AM 970 in New York …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Chicagoist
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Bill Whitaker / CBS News:
Crisis in Chicago — Bill Whitaker reports on Chicago's surge …
Crisis in Chicago — Bill Whitaker reports on Chicago's surge …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Infowars and New York Daily News