memeorandum: Hey Hollywood, Smugness Isn't a Political Strategy (Megan McArdle/Bloomberg)

8:40 AM ET, January 12, 2017

Top Items:

How a Sensational, Unverified Dossier Became a Crisis for Donald Trump — WASHINGTON — Seven months ago, a respected former British spy named Christopher Steele won a contract to build a file on Donald J. Trump's ties to Russia. Last week, the explosive details — unsubstantiated accounts …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Moderate Voice, Betsy's Page, Hit & Run, twitchy.com, Althouse and Infowars, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Christopher Steele, Ex-British Intelligence Officer, Said to Have Prepared Dossier on Trump — Former spy is director of London-based Orbis Intelligence Ltd. — A former British intelligence officer who is now a director of a private security-and-investigations firm has been identified …

Discussion: Yahoo, Infowars, AOL, The Week, Heat Street, Mother Jones, Business Insider, RedState, New York Magazine, Politico and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Michael Brendan Dougherty / The Week:

Why the media's Trump dossier coverage is suicidal — The media is sinking to Donald Trump's level. — Reeling from their inability to stop his election, envious of his power to make people believe his most ridiculous statements, and rinsed by a needy mood for self-soothing …

Daily Mail:
‘Will you look after my cat?’ …

Discussion: Infowars, RedState and Reuters

Gordon Rayner / Telegraph:
Former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who produced Donald Trump Russian dossier, 'terrified …

Discussion: The Times of Israel

Geoff Earle / Daily Mail:

Trump conducts his own sting operation to ensnare intelligence briefers - and says he caught them leaking — President-elect Donald Trump described a sting operation he says he conducted after becoming infuriated by a series of leaks about his own classified briefings

Discussion: Infowars, Daily Wire and The Last Tradition

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

Spy chief trashes leaks, assures Trump of loyalty — The outgoing U.S. director of national intelligence has extended an olive branch of sorts to Donald Trump — denouncing media leaks, casting skepticism on a report that Russia has damaging material on the president-elect …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Hill and RedState

Kelsey Snell / Washington Post:

Obamacare is one step closer to repeal after Senate advances budget resolution — The Senate voted 51 to 48 early Thursday morning to approve a budget resolution instructing House and Senate committees to begin work on legislation to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Political Wire and The Week

New York Times:
Senate Takes Major Step Toward Repealing Health Care Law

Discussion: Business Insider and Vox

Susan Cornwell / Reuters:
Senate approves measure launching Obamacare repeal process

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Erin Kelly / USA Today:
Senate approves first step to repealing Obamacare

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Week

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

At His First News Conference As President-elect, Trump Owns the Press — This morning, Donald Trump hosted his much-delayed, long-awaited first news conference as president-elect. Inside the Trump Tower atrium, the atmosphere was as charged as at a highly anticipated prize fight.

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Max Boot / New York Times:

Donald Trump: A Modern Manchurian Candidate? — In recent days, two intelligence dossiers have been published making sensational charges involving President-elect Donald J. Trump and the 2016 election. Although they will be lumped together in the public mind, in truth they are as different as chalk and cheese.

Discussion: Slate, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, The Intercept, The Week, BizPac Review, NBC News, Informed Comment, New York Magazine, Raw Story, CNBC and Infowars, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Intelligence Chief's Olive Branch to Trump Gets Twisted in Translation — James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, offered a public olive branch to President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday night, which Mr. Trump appears to have twisted. — Team Trump went to war …

Discussion: BizPac Review, Sputnik International, The Gateway Pundit, Jamie Dupree, Political Insider blog and USA Today

Paul Wood / BBC:

Trump ‘compromising’ claims: How and why did we get here? — Donald Trump has described as “fake news” allegations published in some media that his election team colluded with Russia - and that Russia held compromising material about his private life. The BBC's Paul Wood saw the allegations …

Discussion: Mother Jones

ABC News:

Mattis, Trump's Choice to Lead Pentagon, Is Wary of Iran — In November 2012, shortly before the White House ended his tenure commanding U.S. forces in the Middle East, Marine Gen. James Mattis delivered an urgent message to his boss: An Iranian fighter jet had fired errantly on a U.S. drone overflying the Persian Gulf.

Discussion: Politico

Jeremy Herb / Politico:
Mattis on the issues — Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis …

Discussion: ABC News and ThinkProgress

Reuters:
Trump's team blocks U.S. House appearance by Pentagon pick: officials

Discussion: CNN, Politico and Hot Air

Jennifer Calfas / The Hill:

Outspoken Putin critic: Trump's press conference just like Soviet ones — Garry Kasparov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, likened President-elect Donald Trump — 's press conference Wednesday to ones held by leaders in the Soviet Union. — “That reminded me of a Soviet press conference.

Discussion: Politico and The Geller Report

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Tapper defends CNN coverage after heated Trump press conference

Discussion: TheBlaze, Washington Times, Mediaite and CNNMoney

Annie Karni / Politico:
Trump pits his staff against the media

Discussion: Raw Story, Business Insider, Washington Post, ABC News and Vocativ, more at Mediagazer »

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Peter Thiel, Trump's Tech Pal, Explains Himself — Let others tremble at the thought that Donald J. Trump may go too far. Peter Thiel worries that Mr. Trump may not go far enough. — “Everyone says Trump is going to change everything way too much,” says the famed venture capitalist …

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider, Gizmodo, CNBC and Raw Story

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Confirm or Deny: Peter Thiel

Discussion: Business Insider and PoliPundit.com

Jeet Heer / New Republic:

Democrats Should Run a Celebrity for President, Too — It worked for Republicans—twice. And charismatic candidates like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton don't appear every four years. — Meryl Streep's rebuke of Donald Trump during the Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday has revived the familiar complaint …

Discussion: Hot Air

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump's presser was remarkable. It means we're heading into truly uncharted territory. — At his presser today, Donald Trump confirmed the very worst fears of ethics experts, announcing a new arrangement for his business holdings that is designed to garner nice headlines but is unlikely …

Discussion: The Week, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Mediaite, AOL, The Nation, New York Times, MSNBC, The Daily Signal, TheStreet.com, ThinkProgress, Fox News Insider, Morning Consult and Media Matters for America, more at Mediagazer »

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Federal ethics chief blasts ‘meaningless’ Trump business plan

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, Liberal Values, Judicial Watch and alan.com

Lisa Lambert / Reuters:

Republicans pass sweeping bill to reform ‘abusive’ U.S. regulation — Republicans on Wednesday passed a bill in the House of Representatives that touched on nearly every step U.S. agencies take in creating and applying new rules, continuing their blitz to radically reform “abusive” …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Politicus USA

Corey Charlton / The Sun:

FACEBOOK DEATH Girl, 12, streams her own suicide on Facebook Live for 20 minutes after being ‘sexually abused by a relative’ - and cops are powerless to take it down — Cops say they have asked websites to remove the video of Katelyn Nicole Davis's death but admit they are unable to do more

Discussion: alan.com

David Edwards / Raw Story:

‘Your sheet is showing’: Internet pounces on Tom Cotton for saying Cory Booker sounds like ‘T-Bone’ — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) was accused of casual racism on Wednesday after he compared Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) to a fictional character named “T-Bone.”

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Power Line, Business Insider, Hot Air and Mediaite

Associated Press:

Trump's CIA Choice to Be Questioned Amid Russia Hacking Fury — Donald Trump's pick to run the CIA faces a Senate confirmation hearing amid a testy standoff between the president-elect and the spy community. — Rep. Mike Pompeo, a four-term conservative Kansas Republican …

Discussion: Politico and The Week

New York Times:

Eric Holder to Lead Democrats' Attack on Republican Gerrymandering — WASHINGTON — As he prepared last week to deliver his farewell address, President Obama convened a trio of Democratic leaders in the White House for a strategy session on the future of their party.

Discussion: Balloon Juice