Top Items:
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.
RELATED:
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:
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.
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Senator Franken Should Step Aside — I have been shocked …
Senator Franken Should Step Aside — I have been shocked …
Discussion:
NPR, Mashable, New York Times, Hot Air, Townhall.com, Politico, Talking Points Memo, KOIN-TV, TheBlaze, Althouse, Vox, NewBostonPost, Slate, Daily Kos, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, AOL, National Review, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, The Daily Beast, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, Washington Times, IJR, The Week, Mediaite, The Slot, Mother Jones, New York Magazine and Balloon Juice
Heather Caygle / Politico:
Another woman says Franken tried to forcibly kiss her
Another woman says Franken tried to forcibly kiss her
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, The Daily Beast, CNN, Mashable, CNBC, Fox News, USA Today, NorthJersey.com, ABC News, Roll Call, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Patterico's Pontifications, Mediaite, New York Times, National Review, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Root, KRON4.com, IJR, Democrats.com, Instapundit, The Week, TheBlaze, The Guardian, The Slot, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Fox News Insider, Axios, NTK Network, Outside the Beltway, Political Wire, Washington Free Beacon, The Atlantic, twitchy.com, Towleroad, WHNT-TV, Shakesville, The Federalist, Taylor Marsh, Mother Jones, New Republic, CBS San Francisco, KTLA, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, RedState, WCCO | CBS Minnesota and Washington Times
Patrick Leahy / U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont:
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senator Al Franken
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senator Al Franken
Discussion:
Mediaite
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Poll: Majority says Congress should investigate sexual harassment allegations against Trump
Poll: Majority says Congress should investigate sexual harassment allegations against Trump
Discussion:
TIME, RedState, Common Dreams and Washington Post
James Pindell / BostonGlobe.com:
Aide says Warren told Franken he should resign
Aide says Warren told Franken he should resign
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CBS New York, RedState and NTK Network
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:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, Mother Jones and Axios
RELATED:
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:
Mother Jones, The Hill, Reuters, Raw Story, Politico, Politicus USA, RedState, IJR, Right Wing Watch, NBC News, Mediaite and Washington Post
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. won't tell lawmakers what he and President discussed about Trump Tower meeting
Trump Jr. won't tell lawmakers what he and President discussed about Trump Tower meeting
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Magazine, The Hill, Business Insider and NBC News
Brian Bennett / Los Angeles Times:
White House says Trump slurred during his speech about Jerusalem because his throat was dry
White House says Trump slurred during his speech about Jerusalem because his throat was dry
Discussion:
Daily Mail
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, The Atlantic, Balloon Juice, The Week, Politicus USA, Talking Points Memo, IJR, Axios, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, The New Civil Rights Movement and Shakesville
RELATED:
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.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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
Mike Memoli / NBC News:
Whistleblower: Flynn told ex-partner Russia sanctions would be ripped up
Whistleblower: Flynn told ex-partner Russia sanctions would be ripped up
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Oversight Democrats, Vox, New York Magazine and TheBlaze
Mark Landler / New York Times:
Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's Capital and Orders U.S. Embassy to Move — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and setting in motion a plan to move the United States Embassy …
RELATED:
Annie Karni / Politico:
Kushner bets he can have it both ways on Jerusalem move
Kushner bets he can have it both ways on Jerusalem move
Discussion:
Axios, The Daily Beast and Raw Story
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
State Department sets up emergency task force for Jerusalem fallout
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
'It's catastrophic': U.S. allies reject Trump's Jerusalem pronouncement
Discussion:
The Hill, BBC, BloombergQuint, IJR, The Slot, Washington Free Beacon, Just Security and New York Magazine
Christopher Dickey / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Jerusalem Speech Won't Kill the Mideast Peace Process: It's Already Dead
Trump's Jerusalem Speech Won't Kill the Mideast Peace Process: It's Already Dead
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post and BloombergQuint
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 and The Daily Caller
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:
Balloon Juice
RELATED:
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, FOX31 Denver, Mother Jones, New York's PIX11, KFOR-TV, KTLA, Hyperallergic, New York Magazine, robertscribbler, Mashable, BloombergQuint, 89.3 KPCC, fox13now.com, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Mediaite, WHNT-TV, Joe.My.God., The Week, The New Civil Rights Movement, Washington Post and Gizmodo
RELATED:
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.
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.
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
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:
HUD.gov, Military Times, The Hill, Raw Story and Shareblue Media
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,” …
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
Zeke Faux / Bloomberg:
Millions Are Hounded for Debt They Don't Owe. One Victim Fought Back, With a Vengeance — Andrew Therrien wanted payback. He got it—and uncovered a conspiracy. — On the morning a debt collector threatened to rape his wife, Andrew Therrien was working from home …
Mark Bauerlein / CNN:
Why Trump is still winning — Flake caught on hot mic talking about Trump — Mark Bauerlein is a professor of English at Emory University, senior editor of the journal First Things and author of “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future; Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30.”
Discussion:
Washington Post and No More Mister Nice Blog
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
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.