memeorandum: GOP passes deeply unpopular tax hike on middle class, sealing their fate for 2018 (Matthew Chapman/Shareblue Media)

3:35 AM ET, December 2, 2017

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.

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: IJR, RedState, 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 …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, East Bay Times, RedState, Booman Tribune, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Weekly Standard, Business Insider, The Federalist, TheStreet, Raw Story, Vox, TalkLeft, Shareblue Media and The Root

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

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: twitchy.com, The Daily Beast and Mediaite

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, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, Vox and Talking Points Memo

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 …

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:
‘Over By Thanksgiving’: White House Lawyer Ty Cobb Was Disastrously Wrong

Discussion: Raw Story

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:
What the Flynn Plea Means

Discussion: Business Insider, Indianapolis Star, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, Washington Times, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Last Refuge, Talking Points Memo and Power Line

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
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

Discussion: Raw Story, Shareblue Media and Politicus USA

Garrett M. Graff / Wired:
MICHAEL FLYNN'S GUILTY PLEA SHOWS THAT ROBERT MUELLER IS CLOSING IN

Discussion: Politico

Jeff Poor / Breitbart: Limbaugh: Timing of Flynn Charges ‘May Not Be Coincidental’ — ‘Look at All the News It Has Swept Off the Front Pages’

Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
How the Flynn Charges Box In Trump

Discussion: The Daily Caller, BloombergQuint, Washington Post, Raw Story, Politico, Joe.My.God., Mashable and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
Sources: Kushner was the ‘very senior’ transition member mentioned in court filing

Discussion: NBC News, KTLA, ThinkProgress and Washington Post

Kate Brannen / Just Security:
What Does Flynn Plea Deal Mean?

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, 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

Discussion: Washington Post, New Republic, Politico, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Axios, ABC News and RedState

Sarah Westwood / Washington Examiner:
Trump lawyer: ‘Nothing’ in Michael Flynn's guilty plea implicates Trump or White House

Discussion: IJR

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post: Facing mounting legal vulnerabilities, Flynn turned to a deal

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, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, KTLA and Mediaite

Matthew Chapman / Shareblue Media:

GOP passes deeply unpopular tax hike on middle class, sealing their fate for 2018 — Senate Republicans have passed the worst tax bill in modern history. And Democrats are coming for them. — Late Friday night, after an endless marathon of procedural wrangling, Senate Republicans voted to wreak havoc on the middle class.

Discussion: Stanford Politics, CNBC and Grist

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.

Washington Post:

Senate passes Republican tax plan in major win for Trump and party leaders — Senate Republicans passed a $1.5 trillion tax bill early Saturday morning that bestows massive benefits on corporate America and the wealthy while delivering mixed blessings to everybody else.

Jordain Carney / The Hill: Corker to vote no on GOP tax bill

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 …

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

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 »

John Bowden / The Hill:
Clinton on Matt Lauer: ‘Every day I believe more in karma’

Discussion: PhillyVoice, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney: NBC News source says Matt Lauer will not receive a payout

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 and Washington Free Beacon

Elizabeth Zwirz / Fox News:
DOJ files arrest warrant for illegal immigrant acquitted in Kate Steinle case

Discussion: Business Insider, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, RedState, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, CBS San Francisco, CBS New York, Washington Post, TheBlaze, The Hill, bizpacreview.com, Fox News Insider, Washington Times, NBC News, East Bay Times and The Last Refuge

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.

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Democrats say GOP tax perk aimed at helping one influential conservative college — At nearly 500 pages, the emerging Senate tax bill provides breaks for industries small and large, but one particular provision sparked a heated exchange Friday night, something Democrats calling it the “Hillsdale carveout”.

Discussion: RedState