Top Items:
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Kushner Is Said to Have Ordered Flynn to Contact Russia — Now that the retired general has pleaded guilty, the president's son-in-law could be one of the next dominoes to fall. — Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's guilty plea Friday for lying to the FBI is alarming news for Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Business Insider, New York Times, Raw Story, National Review, Mediaite, ABC News, IJR, BloombergQuint, Mother Jones, The Last Refuge, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Vox, AOL, New York Magazine, twitchy.com, Coffee House, Common Dreams, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Kushner Is Leaving Tillerson in the Dark on Middle East Talks, Sources Say — Tillerson worries secret plan could plunge region into chaos — White House rejects accusation State Department isn't informed — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is increasingly alarmed by what he sees …
Discussion:
RedState, IJR, Raw Story and BloombergQuint
SHennessey / Lawfare:
The Flynn Plea: A Quick and Dirty Analysis — The news that former national security adviser Michael Flynn has reached a cooperation and plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller could not come as less of a surprise. Reports of Flynn's bizarre behavior across a wide spectrum …
CNN:
Russia investigation ‘wearing’ on White House, despite spin — Source: White House ‘totally in a bubble’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump, who was already incensed by the idea that his accomplishments weren't getting the credit they deserve …
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, IJR, The Atlantic and New York's PIX11
Nancy Cook / Politico:
Trump White House caught off guard by Flynn plea — No one in the White House was prepared. — Friday began with the now-routine flurry of tweets from President Donald Trump — two about the acquittal of an undocumented immigrant accused of a 2015 killing in San Francisco, one about his tax legislation.
Discussion:
ABC News and Washington Post
Brian Ross / ABC News:
Flynn prepared to testify that Trump directed him to contact Russians about ISIS, confidant says — Retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn has promised “full cooperation” in the special counsel's Russia investigation and, according to a confidant, is prepared to testify that Donald Trump directed …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, National Review, The Hill, BuzzFeed, CNBC, New York Post, CNNMoney, New Republic, Towleroad, RedState, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, The Last Refuge, Shareblue Media, The Daily Caller, Axios, Mashable, MichelleMalkin.com, IJR, The Week, Business Insider, The Atlantic, FiveThirtyEight, TheBlaze, Outside the Beltway, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, bizpacreview.com, CNN, Mother Jones, Politicus USA, The Guardian, Shakesville, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Common Dreams, myfox8.com and Washingtonian
Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
ABC News corrects bombshell Flynn report — Trump's praise of Michael Flynn over the years — ABC News on Friday evening corrected an explosive special report that aired in the morning saying that Donald Trump, as a candidate for president, had asked Michael Flynn to make contact with Russians.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Mediaite and twitchy.com
BuzzFeed:
It Was Kushner Who Told Flynn To Make Calls About Israel UN Vote, Source Says — The president's son-in-law prompted the Dec. 22 call to Russia's ambassador that is the focus of Flynn's guilty plea Friday. — Reporting From Washington, DC — WASHINGTON - Jared Kushner …
Discussion:
CNBC, The Hill, Washington Post, Common Dreams, New York Magazine and Vox
Washington Post:
Mueller's swift moves signal mounting legal peril for the White House — Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has swept up four former Trump aides in his investigation. Two pleaded guilty and are said to be cooperating with his probe. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Media Matters for America, CNBC, New Republic and Daily Kos
Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:
‘Over By Thanksgiving’: White House Lawyer Ty Cobb Was Disastrously Wrong
‘Over By Thanksgiving’: White House Lawyer Ty Cobb Was Disastrously Wrong
Discussion:
Raw Story
Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Former Prosecutors Break Down What Mike Flynn's Plea Deal Really Means
Former Prosecutors Break Down What Mike Flynn's Plea Deal Really Means
Discussion:
The Guardian and Washington Post
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Suspected for Weeks That Mike Flynn Would Flip
Donald Trump Suspected for Weeks That Mike Flynn Would Flip
Discussion:
Raw Story, Shareblue Media and Politicus USA
Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
How the Flynn Charges Box In Trump
How the Flynn Charges Box In Trump
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, BloombergQuint, Washington Post, Raw Story, Politico and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »
Jeff Poor / Breitbart:
Limbaugh: Timing of Flynn Charges ‘May Not Be Coincidental’ — ‘Look at All the News It Has Swept Off the Front Pages’
Garrett M. Graff / Wired:
MICHAEL FLYNN'S GUILTY PLEA SHOWS THAT ROBERT MUELLER IS CLOSING IN
MICHAEL FLYNN'S GUILTY PLEA SHOWS THAT ROBERT MUELLER IS CLOSING IN
Discussion:
Politico
CNN:
Sources: Kushner was the ‘very senior’ transition member mentioned in court filing
Sources: Kushner was the ‘very senior’ transition member mentioned in court filing
Discussion:
NBC News, KTLA, ThinkProgress and Washington Post
New York Times:
Flynn to Plead Guilty to Lying to the F.B.I.
Flynn to Plead Guilty to Lying to the F.B.I.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Media Matters for America, Right Wing Watch, Talking Points Memo, Democrats.com, The Gateway Pundit, Shareblue Media, Booman Tribune, East Bay Times, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, AOL, Politico, IJR, Vox, National Review, The Federalist, Joe.My.God., TalkLeft, CNN, The Root and The Week
Kate Brannen / Just Security:
What Does Flynn Plea Deal Mean?
What Does Flynn Plea Deal Mean?
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, NBC News, Raw Story, Business Insider, Roll Call and Balloon Juice
Josh Delk / The Hill:
Flynn to testify Trump ‘directed him to make contact with the Russians’: report
Flynn to testify Trump ‘directed him to make contact with the Russians’: report
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, New Republic, Axios, ABC News and RedState
Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Facing mounting legal vulnerabilities, Flynn turned to a deal
Sarah Westwood / Washington Examiner:
Trump lawyer: ‘Nothing’ in Michael Flynn's guilty plea implicates Trump or White House
Trump lawyer: ‘Nothing’ in Michael Flynn's guilty plea implicates Trump or White House
Discussion:
IJR
BuzzFeed:
She Says She Quit Her Campaign Job After He Harassed Her. Now He's In Congress. — Last year, a 25-year-old woman left her job on Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen's campaign because of what she says were repeated unwanted propositions for dates and sex. Responding to these allegations …
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, The Nevada Independent, USA Today, AOL, Roll Call, Daily Kos, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine, KTLA, Axios, Washington Free Beacon and Mediaite
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Lawmaker behind secret $84K sexual harassment settlement unmasked — Rep. Blake Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his former spokesman — the only known sitting member of Congress to have used a little-known congressional account to pay an accuser …
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post, The Texas Tribune, Allied Progress, IJR, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, RedState, The Slot, The Guardian, TheBlaze, Townhall.com, ThinkProgress, Roll Call, The Daily Beast, AOL, Talking Points Memo, PinkNews, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, ABC News, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, Joe.My.God., twitchy.com, NY State of Politics, Axios and The Root
Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Gowdy, Benghazi panel settled wrongful firing suit with $150,000 in public funds — Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. (Alex Brandon/AP) — As chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) used $150,000 in taxpayer dollars to settle with a former aide who alleged …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, The Hill and Business Insider
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
GOP eyes post-tax-cut changes to welfare, Medicare and Social Security — High-ranking Republicans are hinting that, after their tax overhaul, the party intends to look at cutting spending on welfare, entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and other parts of the social safety net.
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Emily Smith / Page Six:
The ‘Today’ show was a ‘total boys’ club' during Lauer's tenure — Top NBC News execs received complaints about Matt Lauer's alleged sexual misconduct long before he was fired for harassment — but chose to protect him, current and former staffers told The Post on Thursday.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, IJR, TVNewser, NBC News, CNN and Vox, more at Mediagazer »
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John Bowden / The Hill:
Clinton on Matt Lauer: ‘Every day I believe more in karma’
Clinton on Matt Lauer: ‘Every day I believe more in karma’
Discussion:
PhillyVoice, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze and The Daily Caller
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
NBC News source says Matt Lauer will not receive a payout
New York Times:
Former N.S.A. Employee Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Information — BALTIMORE — A former National Security Agency employee admitted on Friday that he had illegally taken from the agency classified documents believed to have subsequently been stolen from his home computer by hackers working for Russian intelligence.
Discussion:
Reuters, Business Insider, KTLA and The Week
Lee Fang / The Intercept:
Special Giveaways in Tax Cut Bill Benefit Family Members, Colleagues of Key GOP Senators — The tax plan before Congress, though sold as broad legislation to reduce rates and end favoritism in the tax code, contains targeted provisions designed to benefit special interest groups …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, NBC News and Joe.My.God.
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
DOJ issues arrest warrant for undocumented immigrant acquitted in Kate Steinle killing — A federal warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Mexican immigrant acquitted Thursday evening of murder charges in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle. — Steinle's death has been taken up by opponents of so-called sanctuary cities.
Discussion:
IJR, Washington Free Beacon and CBS San Francisco
RELATED:
Sheelah Kolhatkar / New Yorker:
How the Lawyer David Boies Turned a Young Novelist's Sexual Past Against Her — In February, 2017, the novelist Emma Cline received a fifteen-page letter from the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP containing a list of accusations against her. Cline had recently found literary success …
Discussion:
New York Times