memeorandum: McConnell: 'There's not going to be a government shutdown' (Kevin Robillard/Politico)

1:30 PM ET, December 3, 2017

Top Items:

Charles Kaiser / The Guardian:

Was Michael Flynn asked to wear a wire in Mueller hunt for evidence on Russia? — Plea agreement includes clause showing Flynn consented to participate in 'covert law enforcement activities" if required — The least-noticed sentence in Michael Flynn's plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller …

Kailani Koenig / NBC News:

Feinstein: Senate Russia probe building obstruction case against Trump — WASHINGTON — A Senate investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election has revealed a possible obstruction of justice case against President Donald Trump, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said on “Meet The Press” Sunday.

Discussion: Raw Story, AOL and NBC News

CNN:

Louis: It's time to start talking about impeachment — Errol Louis: It's time for Americans to ponder the gravity of the scandal engulfing the White House — Louis: Expect more pressure on Pelosi to speak the truth: Top Trump officials have been lying about Russia

Discussion: The Atlantic, KTLA and Bloomberg

Mike Allen / Axios:

Trump lawyer's backstory for a stunning tweet — John Dowd, President Trump's personal lawyer, tells me that a Trump tweet that caused an eruption yesterday was “my mistake,” made in a tweet he had drafted and passed to White House social media director Dan Scavino.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Daniel Dale / Toronto Star: Oops: Trump's latest tweet about Michael Flynn could strengthen Mueller's case against president, experts say

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Did Trump's tweet about Michael Flynn's guilty plea just admit something it shouldn't have?

Discussion: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Hullabaloo, CBS New York, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Week, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Axios, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, IJR, RedState, FOX31 Denver, Vox, New York Times, Mediaite and CNBC

New York Times:
Emails Dispute White House Claims That Flynn Acted Independently on Russia

Discussion: Axios, The Week, Bloomberg, Shareblue Media, The Root, Common Dreams, CNN, Politicus USA, Talking Points Memo, Gizmodo, KTLA, Mediaite, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, RedState, Business Insider, NPR, Raw Story, The Hill, ThinkProgress and Washington Post

Kristine Phillips / Washington Post:
Trump on Michael Flynn's guilty plea: It's a ‘shame’ because he had ‘nothing to hide’

CBS News:

CBS News poll: Alabama Republicans call allegations against Roy Moore false — A new CBS News poll finds 71 percent of Alabama Republicans say the allegations against Roy Moore are false, and those who believe this also overwhelmingly believe Democrats and the media are behind those allegations.

Discussion: Politico, Political Wire, Joe.My.God. and Mediaite

The Daily Beast:

McConnell Walks Back Roy Moore Criticisms: It's Up to Alabama to Decide — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Sunday appeared to walk back his criticisms of Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore. “I'm going to let the people of Alabama make the call,” he said on ABC's This Week.

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News and Axios

Kevin Robillard / Politico:
McConnell: 'There's not going to be a government shutdown'

Discussion: Axios and The Week

ABC News:
Senate majority leader: 'There's not going to be a government shutdown'

Discussion: NBC News

Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Finds Loopholes in Chief of Staff's New Regime — Kelly establishes control, but the president's ‘workarounds’ show its limits — WASHINGTON—Chief of Staff John Kelly over the past five months has imposed discipline and rigorous protocols on a freewheeling White House.

Discussion: Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Trump has given staffers assignments and told them not to tell Kelly: report — President Trump has reportedly given staffers direct assignments by calling them secretly to the residence in the evenings, in an attempt to circumvent chief of staff John Kelly

Discussion: RedState and Political Wire

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:

Operative Offered Trump Campaign ‘Kremlin Connection’ Using N.R.A. Ties — WASHINGTON — A conservative operative trumpeting his close ties to the National Rifle Association and Russia told a Trump campaign adviser last year that he could arrange a back-channel meeting between Donald J. Trump …

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Balloon Juice and Joe.My.God.

Fox News:

FBI official's role in Clinton email investigation under review — EXCLUSIVE - Two senior Justice Department officials have confirmed to Fox News that the department's Office of Inspector General is reviewing the role played in the Hillary Clinton email investigation by Peter Strzok …

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit, bizpacreview.com, New York Magazine and Mediaite

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Nunes blows up, threatens contempt after FBI stonewalls House on Russia investigator demoted for anti-Trump bias

Discussion: RedState, Shareblue Media, Washington Post, Fox News, The Week, Breaking, The Gateway Pundit, Power Line, NBC News, IJR, bizpacreview.com, Business Insider and NPR, more at Mediagazer »

BostonGlobe.com:

Trump campaigned as a populist. He's not delivering as president — WASHINGTON — President Trump ran a campaign on lifting up the little guy. He was, in the words of his oldest son, “a blue-collar billionaire,” and it was his plain-spoken promise to be their warrior in Washington …

David Weigel / Washington Post: ‘This is class warfare’: Tax vote sparks political brawl over populism that will carry into 2018 elections

Damian Paletta / Washington Post: Trump waffles on size of corporate tax cut, hours after Senate GOP passes bill that met his demands

Vivian Wang / New York Times:

ABC Suspends Reporter Brian Ross Over Erroneous Report About Trump — Brian Ross, the chief investigative correspondent for ABC News, has been suspended for four weeks without pay after incorrectly reporting that Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, would testify …

Discussion: twitchy.com, IJR, Washington Post, bizpacreview.com, The Guardian, Deadline, Raw Story, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

ABC News:
ABC News statement on Michael Flynn report

Discussion: NewsBusters, Axios, bizpacreview.com, Townhall.com, NBC News, RedState, Washington Post, IJR and Raw Story

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
ABC News suspends Brian Ross for 4 weeks over erroneous Flynn story

Discussion: Politico, MichelleMalkin.com, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Mediaite, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon and The Gateway Pundit

ABC News:
After erroneous Flynn report, ABC News suspends Brian Ross

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Beast and Associated Press

Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:

Terry McAuliffe's Dead-Serious Advice For Democrats: Have Some Fun! — There's a joke about Terry McAuliffe. He made it up himself. — “Lot of history here,” he'll tell guests at the Virginia Executive Mansion. “Our first governor, Patrick Henry. Our second governor, Thomas Jefferson.

New York Times:

Tax Bill Offers Last-Minute Breaks for Developers, Banks and Oil Industry — The overhaul by Republican lawmakers of the nation's tax laws percolated for weeks with virtually no public input, and by the end it turned into a chaotic mad dash with many last-minute changes on Friday night and Saturday morning …

James Wolcott / Vanity Fair:

Will Mark Halperin's Harassment Scandal Be a Game Changer? — Halperin, who has proven to be one of Trump's many enablers, is now dealing with the aftermath of his own scandal that has cost him a publishing deal and his reputation. — Reputations aren't what they used to be.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, more at Mediagazer »

Jason Noble / Des Moines Register:

Despite lawmakers' warnings, few Iowa farmers face estate tax — If the tax reform packages that have now passed the U.S. House and Senate become law, at least one thing appears likely: The federal estate tax will be slashed and perhaps eliminated altogether.

Josh Delk / The Hill:

Book on Trump campaign reveals Hope Hicks steamed Trump's suits while he wore them — White House communications director Hope Hicks steamed President Trump's suits on the 2016 campaign trail while he was wearing them, according to an upcoming book on the campaign.

Discussion: AOL, RedState and Axios