memeorandum: Once a Long Shot, Democrat Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Race (New York Times)

7:20 AM ET, December 13, 2017

Top Items:

Once a Long Shot, Democrat Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Race — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Doug Jones, a Democratic former prosecutor who mounted a seemingly quixotic Senate campaign in the face of Republican dominance here, defeated his scandal-scarred opponent, Roy S. Moore …

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:

Doug Jones's victory scrambles the Republican congressional agenda — Doug Jones's odds-defying victory in Alabama — handing Democrats a vanishingly rare Senate win in the Deep South — scrambles President Trump's legislative agenda for the coming year, threatens to heighten Republican infighting …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Balloon Juice, Vox and AOL

Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:

Stephen Colbert Mocks Roy Moore Over Alabama Senate Loss: ‘Roy Moore Now Has to Eat His Horse’ … “It's also a huge day in Alabama: Election Day,” announced Stephen Colbert. “And now it is official: Roy Moore either is or isn't our newest U.S. senator. Because you see, we taped tonight's show long before the polls closed.”

Discussion: ABC News and Axios

Andrew Prokop / Vox:

Steve Bannon's Republican critics are gleefully dunking on him for Roy Moore's shocking loss — “Not every man can make an Alabama Senate race close, but Steve Bannon can.” — Doug Jones's shocking victory in Alabama's Senate special election is a tremendous humiliation …

Discussion: The Guardian, VICE News, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Alabama Election Results: Doug Jones Defeats Roy Moore in U.S. Senate Race — All the latest political news and more: sign up for the Morning Briefing. Free to your inbox. — Candidate Party Votes Pct. — Doug Jones — Dem. — 671,151 — Roy Moore — Rep. — 650,436

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Signal, Hit & Run, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, The Last Refuge, Daily Kos, TalkLeft, CNN, Zac McCrary and Refinery29

Adam Kelsey / ABC News:

Doug Jones wins Alabama Senate race in seismic Democratic victory; defiant Roy Moore does not concede — Doug Jones, a Democratic former U.S. attorney whose long-shot candidacy was bolstered by a wave of sexual misconduct accusations against his opponent Roy Moore, will win the special election …

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

Trump suffers ‘big black eye’ in Alabama — Doug Jones didn't just defeat Roy Moore in Alabama's Senate race on Tuesday night — he administered the most crushing and embarrassing political blow of President Donald Trump's young presidency. — Jones' win meant that Trump …

Discussion: ABC News

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
In Alabama, a lousy night for Republicans and a resounding defeat for Trump

Discussion: ABC News

Axios:
Alabama voters reject Roy Moore, elect Democrat Doug Jones

Discussion: ABC News, Opinion Today, Politico, Business Insider and New York Times

Alex Pappas / Fox News:
Alabama Senate election: Doug Jones defeats Roy Moore, Fox News projects

Associated Press:
Democrat Doug Jones wins election to US Senate from Alabama

Discussion: Axios, ABC News and Politico

Katie McDonough / Splinter:
Horse Twitter Comes for Roy Moore

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Hullabaloo

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Roy Moore's loss in Alabama was a self-inflicted wound by Senate GOP

Discussion: The Federalist and Politico

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

In texts, FBI agents on Russia probe called Trump an ‘idiot’ — Two FBI agents assigned to the investigation into alleged collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia exchanged text messages referring to the future president as an “idiot,” according to copies of messages turned …

Discussion: Fox News, Sputnik International, The Hill, NPR, New York Times, RedState, IJR, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, Business Insider, Althouse and ABC News

New York Times:

In Texts, F.B.I. Officials in Russia Inquiry Said Clinton ‘Just Has to Win’ — WASHINGTON — Senior F.B.I. officials who helped investigate Donald J. Trump's presidential campaign last year told a colleague that Hillary Clinton “just has to win” and described a potential Trump victory as …

Discussion: New York Magazine, AOL and CNN

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

FBI texts reveal anti-Trump, pro-Clinton comments — Texts between two senior FBI officials involved in both the probe of Hillary Clinton's emails and possible connections between Trump associates and Russia show the pair frequently discussed their political views, their intense dislike …

Discussion: The Root

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:
Peter Strzok, FBI agent removed from Robert Mueller's Russia probe, called Trump an ‘idiot’

Discussion: Business Insider, The Daily Caller and The Week

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
Strzok-Page texts show hatred of Trump by the two ex-Team Mueller members

Discussion: Washington Examiner

CBS News:
FBI agent Peter Strzok's texts with Lisa Page disparage Trump throughout campaign

Discussion: IJR, NewsBusters and Mediaite

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
GOP congressman to Trump: Mueller probe ‘infected with bias’

Discussion: New York Times and CNBC

USA Today:

Will Trump's lows ever hit rock bottom? — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says President Donald Trump's latest tweet about her was a ‘sexist smear’ aimed at silencing her voice. The New York Democrat says she won't be silenced on the issue of sexual harassment. (Dec. 12) AP

Henry C. Jackson / Politico:

Trump After Dark: Empire Strikes Back edition — President Donald Trump has a new target: Fellow New Yorker Kirsten Gillibrand. — As Alabama voted today — deciding between Democrat Doug Jones and GOP nominee Roy Moore — Trump tore into Gillibrand on Twitter after she and other Democrats called …

CNN:
Exclusive: Grassley urges Trump to reconsider controversial judicial picks

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Townhall.com, Washington Blade, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Business Insider and Axios

Annie Karni / Politico:
Trump's tweet creates a political opening for Gillibrand

Discussion: Washington Post and The Week

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
White House lawyer: Mueller finished with interviews he's requested

Discussion: The Week and Axios

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Trump attacks Gillibrand in tweet critics say is sexually suggestive and demeaning

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
CNN's Jim Acosta cites access threat from White House's Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NewsBusters, Roll Call, Shareblue Media, Mother Jones, Raw Story, IJR, Fox News Insider, CNN, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, JustOneMinute, Hollywood Life and NPR, more at Mediagazer »

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Already on the 2020 radar, Kirsten Gillibrand catapulted into the spotlight by President Trump

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and IJR

Mike Allen:

Schumer calls cops after forged sex scandal charge — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was the victim of a fake news hit on Tuesday, and has turned over to Capitol Police a document that purports to detail lurid sexual harassment accusations by a former staffer.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Splinter, Raw Story, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Politicus USA, The Week and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Preliminary exit poll results: How different groups voted in the U.S. senator election in Alabama — See how different groups voted in the U.S. senator election in Alabama between Roy Moore and Doug Jones

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Guardian, Mashable, Roll Call, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast and The Week

Mark Galli / Christianity Today:

The Biggest Loser in the Alabama Election — No matter the outcome of today's special election in Alabama for a coveted US Senate seat, there is already one loser: Christian faith. When it comes to either matters of life and death or personal commitments of the human heart, no one will believe a word we say, perhaps for a generation.

Discussion: Vox and Raw Story

Sam Gillette / People.com:

Donald Trump Claims He ‘Never Met’ Accusers Like PEOPLE's Natasha Stoynoff, But We Have the Photo — President Donald Trump claims he doesn't know — and has never met — the multiple women who have accused him of sexual misconduct or assault. But PEOPLE has the photo showing …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, AOL, Index, Al Jazeera English, NBC News, RedState, Politicus USA, CBS Baltimore, IJR, Raw Story and Mediaite

Associated Press:

GOP tax plan trims top rate for wealthy, cuts corporate rate — A massive Republican tax package swiftly taking shape would pull down the top tax rate for wealthy Americans to 37 percent and slash the tax rate for corporations to a level slightly above what businesses and conservatives wanted.

Discussion: Axios

New York Times:
Republicans, Closing In on Final Tax Bill, Aim for a Vote Next Week

Discussion: Mashable

New York Times:

Donald Trump Jr. Demands Leak Probe of House Intelligence Committee — Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, has asked the House Intelligence Committee to open an investigation into leaked information related to his closed interview with the committee last week.

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Axios and Raw Story