memeorandum: Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies (Devlin Barrett/Washington Post)

7:40 AM ET, December 7, 2017

Top Items:

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Trump Jr. cites attorney-client privilege in not answering panel's questions about discussions with his father — Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday cited attorney-client privilege to avoid telling lawmakers about a conversation he had with his father, President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, Mother Jones and Axios

New York Times:

Trump Jr. Won't Provide Details of a Call With His Father — WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. refused on Wednesday to provide a congressional committee details of a July telephone conversation with his father about a meeting last year at which Trump campaign officials had expected …

CNN:

Trump Jr. says he communicated with Hope Hicks, not his father, about Trump Tower response — (CNN)Donald Trump Jr. told House investigators that did not communicate directly with his father when confronted with news reports about his June 2016 Trump Tower meeting, according to multiple sources with knowledge of his testimony.

Discussion: The Hill, Mother Jones, Raw Story, IJR, Politico, Politicus USA, Reuters, RedState, Right Wing Watch, NBC News and Mediaite

Brian Bennett / Los Angeles Times:
White House says Trump slurred during his speech about Jerusalem because his throat was dry

Discussion: Daily Mail

Brian Bakst / mprnews.org:

Sen. Al Franken will resign, Democratic official says — A Democratic official who has spoken to Al Franken and key aides says Franken will resign his Minnesota Senate seat on Thursday, the official tells MPR News. — The official spoke to Franken and separately to Franken's staff.

Tina Dupuy / The Atlantic:

I Believe Franken's Accusers Because He Groped Me, Too — In mid-November, a Los Angeles radio host named Leeann Tweeden stepped forward to claim that Senator Al Franken had shoved his tongue down her throat under the pretext of a rehearsal for a sketch he'd written.

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Inside the demise of Al Franken — Al Franken weathered six women's sexual misconduct allegations without hearing a single resignation call from his fellow Democratic senators. No. 7 broke the dam. — The Democratic women of the Senate had been talking among themselves about the Franken allegations …

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press and Axios

Maggie Severns / Politico:

Female lieutenant governor expected to replace Franken if he resigns — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to appoint his lieutenant governor and close ally, Tina Smith, to Al Franken's seat if the Democratic senator resigns on Thursday, three people familiar with the Democratic governor's thinking said.

Arshad Mohammed / Reuters:

Exclusive: U.S. asks Israel to restrain response to Jerusalem move - document — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is asking Israel to temper its response to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as its capital because Washington expects a backlash and is weighing the potential threat …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Politico and Axios

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's Capital and Orders U.S. Embassy to Move

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, The Week, URJ, Fox News, Taylor Marsh, IJR, Patterico's Pontifications, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, The Atlantic, Associated Press, RedState, Splinter, Tablet Magazine, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, CBS Philly and CNN

Annie Karni / Politico:
Kushner bets he can have it both ways on Jerusalem move

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Raw Story and Axios

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
State Department sets up emergency task force for Jerusalem fallout

Discussion: The White House and The Week

Rick Noack / Washington Post:
'It's catastrophic': U.S. allies reject Trump's Jerusalem pronouncement

Discussion: BBC, IJR, BloombergQuint, The Hill, Washington Free Beacon, The Slot and Just Security

CBS News:

CBS News poll: Americans split on Russia investigation — Most Americans think former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's guilty plea and cooperation with the special counsel is a serious issue for the Trump administration, including a third of Republicans.

Discussion: Politicus USA and Politico

New York Times:

Flynn Said Russian Sanctions Would be ‘Ripped Up,’ Whistle-Blower Says — WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, told a former business associate that economic sanctions against Russia would be “ripped up” as one of the Trump administration's first acts …

Discussion: Reuters, Balloon Juice, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Politicus USA, IJR, Axios, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The New Civil Rights Movement, Mother Jones and Shakesville

Mike Memoli / NBC News:
Whistleblower: Flynn told ex-partner Russia sanctions would be ripped up

Discussion: TheBlaze, Oversight Democrats, Politico, Vox, New York Magazine and New York Times

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies — Republican activists and lawmakers are engaged in a multi-front attack on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe of possible connections between associates of President Trump and Russian agents …

Discussion: Political Wire and Balloon Juice

Jake Gibson / Fox News:
‘Over 10,000 texts’ between ex-Mueller team officials found, after discovery of anti-Trump messages

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Axios

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

The Mysterious Buyer of the $450 Million Leonardo da Vinci? A Saudi Prince — LONDON — He is a little-known Saudi prince from a remote branch of the royal family, with no history as a major art collector, and no publicly known source of great wealth. But the prince, Bader bin Abdullah …

Discussion: The Week, Hyperallergic, The Daily Caller, France 24 and mandiner.hu

Politico:

VA cuts program for homeless vets after touting Trump's commitment — Two days after Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin held a big Washington event to tout the Trump administration's promise to house all homeless vets, the agency did an about-face, telling advocates it was pulling resources from a major housing program.

Discussion: Military Times, The Hill, The Week, Raw Story and Shareblue Media

Brian Sullivan / HUD.gov:
HOMELESSNESS DECLINES IN MOST COMMUNITIES OF THE U.S. WITH INCREASES REPORTED IN HIGH-COST AREAS

Discussion: NewsBusters

Elizabeth Preza / Raw Story:

WATCH: CNN's Anderson Cooper clashes with combative Roy Moore spokeswoman in bonkers interview — In a confrontational interview on Wednesday, CNN's Anderson Cooper cornered Roy Moore's spokeswoman Janet Porter over the candidate's past positions—of which she seemed to know little about.

Patrick Leahy / U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont:

Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senator Al Franken — I just learned of the latest, disturbing allegation against Senator Franken. While the facts from case to case can differ, and while there are sound reasons for weighing evidence in such cases in a deliberate and carefully considered process …

Discussion: Mediaite and The Guardian

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Poll: Majority says Congress should investigate sexual harassment allegations against Trump

Discussion: RedState, Common Dreams, TIME and Washington Post

Kirsten Gillibrand:
Senator Franken Should Step Aside — I have been shocked …

CNN:

Fire closes I-405, rages near Bel Air, Getty museum in Los Angeles — Los Angeles (CNN)A new wildfire closed Interstate 405 early Wednesday near Los Angeles' posh Bel Air area and prompted evacuations — one in a series of blazes that have scorched more than 83,000 acres …

Melissa Etehad / Los Angeles Times:
Firefighters race to save Rupert Murdoch's vineyard estate from Bel-Air fire

Discussion: RedState and KTLA

Ryan Hutchins / Politico:

Christie: Warning about Flynn among reasons I was fired from Trump transition — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday he was ousted as head of President Donald Trump's transition due in part to his opposition to the hiring of Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

New York Times:

Paris Review Editor Resigns Amid Inquiry Into His Conduct with Women — Lorin Stein, the editor of The Paris Review, the prestigious magazine that for more than 60 years has acted as an international literary tastemaker, resigned on Wednesday, amid an internal investigation into his behavior toward female employees and writers.

more at Mediagazer »

Sophie Tatum / CNN:

Haley: ‘Open question’ if US athletes can attend Olympics in South Korea — Haley on Jerusalem: This is about courage — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Whether US athletes will be able to attend the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea remains an “open question,” …

NBC News:

John Conyers III arrested but not prosecuted in domestic abuse case — LOS ANGELES — John Conyers III, a Detroit hedge fund manager named as a possible successor to his scandal-rocked father, Rep. John Conyers, was arrested in Los Angeles this year on suspicion of domestic violence …

Discussion: Splinter, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Washington Free Beacon and twitchy.com

Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:

Devin Nunes spoke to Erik Prince about House Intel testimony despite recusal from the Russia probe — Republican Rep. Devin Nunes met with Blackwater founder Erik Prince earlier this year and discussed Nunes' investigation into the unmasking of Americans' identities in US intelligence reports.

Discussion: Raw Story

Chris Isidore / CNNMoney:

Most U.S. airlines set to limit use of ‘smart bags’ — Your luggage could follow you around the airport — Many smart bags could soon be banned on most U.S. flights. — “Smart bags, also known as smart luggage, have become more popular over the last few months, and they are expected …

Discussion: Gizmodo and CBS Philly

Heather Timmons / Quartz:

The three ultra-rich families battling for control of the Republican party — This week, the House and Senate will work to reconcile their different versions of the tax bill into something that president Donald Trump can sign into law. As they do, dozens of protests and rallies against the bill …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Attorney General Brad Schimel wants sanctions and contempt proceedings over Gov. Scott Walker John Doe leak — MADISON - State Attorney General Brad Schimel has recommended contempt proceedings for a prosecutor and eight other officials over their handling of material from a secret probe of Gov. Scott Walker's campaign.

Tommy Christopher / Shareblue Media:

Watch GOP lawmaker go into gay panic because a Democrat touched his arm — Apparently, when Republican elected officials aren't practicing or enabling sexual predation, they're busy projecting it onto others. At least, that's what appears to have happened this week when state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe …

Discussion: Philly.com and The New Civil Rights Movement

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to overrule precedent helping unions — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to overrule a 40-year-old precedent that allows states to require public employees to pay fees to unions that represent them, an important tool for the American labor movement.

Discussion: Politico